18-07-2025
Taiwan has never been part of the People's Republic of China
Roy Chun Lee is Taiwan's Ambassador to the EU and Belgium.
Over the last 130 years, much like many European nations, Taiwan has forged a unique identity that unites its people, underpins its freedom and democracy, and has made it a global technology powerhouse. Taiwan has never been part of the People's Republic of China (PRC), not even for a single day.
Taiwan roughly matches the Netherlands in land mass, population, and GDP. Since the cession of Taiwan by the Qing dynasty to Japan in 1895, no government in China has ever exercised its jurisdiction over Taiwan. In fact, during the 75 years since the PRC's founding in 1949, Taiwan has existed as a sovereign state under its official name, the Republic of China (Taiwan). Taiwan's existence as a sovereign state is a simple fact; it does not require UN membership for justification. This is the status quo.
Over the past 130 years, the people of Taiwan have cultivated a unique identity with a multicultural heritage, drawing not only from Chinese influences but also from the Dutch, Spanish, Japanese, and Taiwan's indigenous peoples, who are widely regarded to be the origin of all Austronesian cultures. Like the identity-building process of most European countries, Taiwan's journey has been a mixture of darkness and light, suffering and joy, struggle and triumph.
Yet these elements are exactly what make the Taiwanese identity unique and render it a special, like-minded partner to Europe and the world, with or without formal diplomatic recognition.
The existence of Taiwan as a sovereign nation with a unique identity is further demonstrated by its great achievements. It is an economic and democratic powerhouse. In 2024, Taiwan ranked as the world's 21st largest economy, larger than two-thirds of EU Member States. The Democracy Index places Taiwan 12th in the world and number one in Asia.
Taiwan loves freedom just as we love semiconductors. The Human Freedom Index ranks Taiwan 1st in Asia, and the Index of Economic Freedom puts Taiwan 4th in the world. In the World Press Freedom Index, Taiwan stands between Spain and France, and again 1st in Asia.
Indices are numbers, but they offer a good sense of relative performance across countries. Taiwan's performance in most indicators is on par with European countries. This is not to show off how good Taiwan is. Rather, this is the evidence to demonstrate that not only does Taiwan exist independently, but it is also an impactful and inseparable member of the international community.
Unfortunately, instead of applauding Taiwan, the PRC has continually employed every available method to deny the existence of Taiwan. One of the most frequently used tools is to distort the meaning of UN Resolution 2758, arguing that the Resolution reflects a global consensus that Taiwan is part of the PRC.
This is fake news. The following is a direct quotation from a speech delivered by European Commissioner Nicolas Schmit, on behalf of EU High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell in October 2024: 'United Nations Resolution 2758 is very short - only 150 words. And among those 150 words, the word 'Taiwan' does not appear. The resolution switched representation in the United Nations from the 'representatives of Chiang Kai-shek' to the 'representatives of the Government of the People's Republic of China''.
In short, Resolution 2758 provides no legal basis for the PRC to claim ownership of Taiwan or to deny the fact that Taiwan has existed as a sovereign, independent, and meaningful country for the last 75 years.
Given the weakness of its legal arguments, the PRC has visibly doubled down on more aggressive and malignant tactics. Military intimidation against Taiwan and its neighbours has become a daily threat in an attempt to unilaterally change the status quo. Economic coercion that weaponises trade relationships is also common.
Europe can help deter coercion in the Taiwan Strait. First, face the facts: Taiwan is a democracy whose sovereignty is exercised and enjoyed every day by its 23 million people. No amount of propaganda can erase that reality. Second, expose and resist coercion: Call out and reject the PRC's disinformation campaigns, economic blackmail, and military intimidation whenever and wherever they appear. And third, invest in partnership: Expand trade, technology, security dialogues, and cultural exchanges with Taiwan, so that shared values can become shared resilience.
There is no question about Taiwan's status today. Only an authoritarian regime's denial of a reality its ideology finds inconvenient.
