TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s de facto US embassy, the American Institute in Taiwan, sparked debate after a spokesperson said that Taiwan’s international status remains undetermined.
In response to a media inquiry on the 80th anniversary of World War II on Sept. 13, an unnamed AIT spokesperson said that Taiwan's diplomatic status was not determined by any post-war international agreements. The statement was made during remarks criticizing China for deliberately distorting the language in historical documents to advance its territorial claims over Taiwan, reported UDN.
The spokesperson for AIT, which represents the US State Department, mentioned the Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Proclamation, and the Treaty of San Fransisco. "Beijing's narratives are simply false, and none of these documents determined Taiwan's ultimate political status,” the spokesperson said, per Nikkei.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement thanking AIT for clarifying and reaffirming its position on Taiwan’s sovereignty. The ministry emphasized that China has no right to represent Taiwan in international affairs.
On Monday, UDN reported that a US State Department official reaffirmed the accuracy of the AIT spokesperson's remarks regarding the US position on Taiwan's status.
DPP Secretary-General Hsu Kuo-yong (徐國勇) said that when World War II ended “there was no Taiwan Liberation Day,” and that Taiwanese were still Japanese subjects at the time, per UDN. A DPP spokesperson later confirmed that Hsu’s remarks reflect the ruling party’s position.
AIT’s statement, along with those from the defense ministry and the DPP have been criticized by members of the opposition KMT party. The KMT issued a statement on Monday rejecting AIT’s assertion that the issue of Taiwan’s sovereignty is undetermined.
The press release stated, “The KMT must reiterate historical facts. There is no doubt that Taiwan’s sovereignty belongs to the Republic of China.” The KMT said the documents mentioned by AIT clearly show that Taiwan and its islands were returned from Japan to be administered by the Republic of China.
The historical perspective of the KMT considers the communist government in Beijing an illegitimate government of China. While the party disputes Beijing’s interpretation of history and international agreements, it rejects the idea that the legal status of Taiwan is an issue that remains unsettled.
The recent statement from AIT has caused alarm among some KMT leaders because it challenges core beliefs held by many party members regarding Taiwan’s cultural and political identity. The former mayor of Taipei and a frontrunner in the upcoming election for the KMT chair, Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), weighed in on the controversy by saying, “Anybody claiming Taiwan's status is undetermined is a common enemy of all Taiwanese,” per Nikkei.
Statements by the US on Taiwan’s undetermined status has prompted some civic groups to speak out on the issue. On Wednesday, the Taiwan Association of University Professors called for the government to seek diplomatic recognition from the US and other democratic nations as soon as possible to resolve the question of Taiwan’s status, reported UDN.
On Friday, the All-Japan Taiwanese Union responded to the professor’s association and urged Taipei to hold public hearings to clarify the matter.
