Taiwan's greatest desire is to be recognized by the international community. Taiwan's biggest trouble is that it is always under the shadow of the Chinese Communist threat of force.

Currently, the vast majority of countries around the world and international organizations such as the United Nations recognize that there is only one China, the People's Republic of China is the only legitimate government of China, and Taiwan is part of China. This means that Taiwan has no right to participate in many international organizations, has no dignity in the international community, and most of the international community will just stand by and watch if the mainland uses force against Taiwan on the grounds that it is China's internal affairs. In other words, only by winning international recognition can Taiwan be both dignified and safe.

I think that calling on the U.S. government to take the lead in implementing dual recognition of the mainland and Taiwan, using the two Koreas model, is the best way to help Taiwan out of its current predicament.

The US can follow the model of the two Koreas and establish diplomatic relations with Taiwan

It is well known that the United States Congress enacted the Taiwan Relations Act. The United States is committed to protecting Taiwan's security. But this relationship law is premised on the premise that Taiwan will not take the lead in unilaterally changing the status quo. The U.S. government has also declared many times in the past that it does not support Taiwan independence. That is to say, if Taiwan were to invite the Chinese Communist Party to use force because it was the first to unilaterally change the status quo and declare independence (whether it is Taiwan or China), the U.S. might not send troops to protect Taiwan. This is certainly not because the U.S. doesn't like Taiwan enough, much less because the Chinese Communist Party's blockade of Taiwan's international space is justified. In fact, Taiwan's maturing democratic system, especially the way it has handled the coronavirus epidemic with respect for human rights and cleanliness, has won the world's attention and respect. But there are reasons why the United States does not want to be drawn into a war. The U.S. government has also repeatedly stated in the past that it does not want to be drawn into a military conflict with the Chinese Communist Party. So whenever Taiwan's calls for independence were too high, the U.S. quickly put pressure on Taiwan to discourage it from pursuing Taiwan independence.

However, in order to break the unjustified blockade of Taiwan by the Chinese Communist Party and help Taiwan get rid of the injustice of international orphans, it is not necessary for Taiwan to change its constitution or even change its country code, as long as the governments of the United States and the Republic of China formally establish diplomatic relations.

The Chinese Communist Party's trump card in dealing with the Taiwan issue is: whoever recognizes the Republic of China, the People's Republic of China breaks off diplomatic relations with whomever it wants to, and it adopts a "him without me, me without him" stance, forcing foreign countries to choose between the two. Since the importance of China and Taiwan in international relations is not the same, foreign governments feel that the cost of severing diplomatic ties with China is too great, so they have chosen China and abandoned Taiwan.

But the United States can break that. Because disassociation is a double-edged sword; you disassociate yourself from others, and you pay the price. If the United States follows the model of the two Koreas and recognizes the Republic of China while maintaining diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, how will the Chinese Communist Party react? Declare a break with the US? If the U.S. pulls a few more important countries together to establish diplomatic relations with the ROC, it will be even more difficult for the CCP to do so. If the Chinese Communist Party does not dare to break off diplomatic relations with the United States, other countries may follow suit one after another. In this way, Taiwan will be given the international personality it deserves.

U.S.-Taiwan diplomatic relations are established on the basis of the two Koreas' model and do not violate the principle of "One China".

At first glance, the relationship between South Korea and North Korea is the relationship between the two countries. South and North Korea each have their own country code, land, government, military, and their own currency and customs. Both South and North Korea participate in relevant international organizations and activities in the name of the state, are members of the United Nations, and have established official state relations with many countries. There are 150 countries in the world (including China) that recognize both South Korea and North Korea. At the Olympics, South Korean athletes and North Korean athletes can each fly their own flags and each can play their own national anthem if they win gold. But a closer analysis reveals that they are not a relationship between two countries.

Article 3 of the South Korean Constitution states, "The territory of the Republic of Korea shall be on the Korean Peninsula and its annexed islands." Note: This refers to the entire Korean Peninsula, not just the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. Article 5 of the North Korean Constitution also states, "The Democratic People's Republic of Korea struggles for complete national independence in order to achieve the complete victory of socialism in the northern half of the country and the peaceful unification of the motherland on a democratic basis, excluding foreign forces within the country." That is to say, the whole country, as North Korea refers to it, includes the southern half. Although it currently has actual jurisdiction over the site, it is limited to the northern half.

Here, when the two Koreas talk about their territorial boundaries, they are talking about the entire Korean Peninsula, that is to say, the half of the Korean Peninsula under the actual jurisdiction of the other side. But both sides also acknowledge that at this stage they are limited in their governance, i.e., their actual jurisdiction, and respect each other's actual jurisdiction over that half of their territory. Both sides respect and acknowledge the reality of partition, allowing each other access to international organizations such as the United Nations and the establishment of formal diplomatic relations with foreign countries. Both sides insist that there is only one Korea, but within one Korea there are two governments with a central government. Therefore, it can be seen that the relationship between the two Koreas is a "one country, two governments" relationship.

The Chinese Communist Party has long ceased to oppose "one China, two governments"

In the Sino-US Joint Communique signed on February 28, 1972, China wrote this sentence: "The Chinese Government firmly opposes any activities aimed at creating one China, one Taiwan, two governments', 'two Chinas', 'Taiwan independence' and advocating 'Taiwan's undecided status'."

The Chinese Communist Party's National Taiwan Affairs Office has issued two white papers before and after. In the White Paper titled "The Taiwan Question and the Reunification of China" released on September 1, 1993, there is the following passage: "The Chinese government firmly opposes any words or deeds that seek to divide China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, oppose 'two Chinas', 'one China, one Taiwan' or 'one country, two governments', and oppose all attempts and actions that may lead to 'Taiwan independence'."

However, in the white paper released on February 1, 2000, entitled "The One China Principle and the Taiwan Question," it reads that the Chinese government "opposes the so-called 'Taiwan independence,' 'two Chinas,' and 'one China, one Taiwan.'"

Please note: In this White Paper, the Chinese Government's "opposition" to "one country, two governments" has been removed. We also note that since February 2000, on the Taiwan issue, the Chinese Communist authorities have only mentioned opposition to "Taiwan independence", "two Chinas" and "one China, one Taiwan", and no more opposition to "one country, two governments".

"Resolutely foil all kinds of attempts to create 'two Chinas,' 'one China, one Taiwan' and 'Taiwan independence,'" was also what Xi Jinping, the Communist Party's supreme leader, said in his message to the 40th anniversary of the Book to Taiwan's Compatriots on January 2, 2019. Here, he has not yet mentioned his opposition to "one China, two Governments".

Of course, the fact that the Chinese Communist Party no longer mentions its opposition to "one country, two governments" does not mean that it has accepted "one country, two governments". But at the same time, it does not mean that it does not accept "one country, two governments". In other words, the Chinese Communist Party has not accepted "one country, two governments", but it has not said no to it either.

To sum up the above, it is perfectly feasible to deal with the Taiwan issue, one country, two governments, or one China, two governments. And the United States will play a key role here. That is, on the premise that Taiwan maintains the status quo - including the juridical status quo of maintaining the current constitutional system of government - the United States can formally establish diplomatic relations with Taiwan while maintaining normal state relations with the mainland. In other words, the U.S. can practice dual recognition of the mainland and Taiwan, i.e., one China, two governments. Since its premise is still one China, it has not violated the principle of one China, and thus the Chinese Communist Party has nothing to say. Since Taiwan has done nothing to take the lead in changing the status quo unilaterally, there is no reason for the Chinese Communist Party to go to war. What's more, since Beijing can recognize both the North Korean government and the South Korean government, why can't Washington recognize both the government of the People's Republic of China and the government of the Republic of China?

First draft May 14, 2019.
Revised April 12, 2020

(Here is its original Chinese version)

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)