Conflict in China, Tibet, and Taiwan - Essay Example

Conflict in China, Tibet, and Taiwan The conflicts between China, Tibet, and Taiwan have a long history, though the most recent issues between the areas stem from the effects of the Cultural Revolution and the expulsion of the nationalists from the country. When the communists came to power under the leadership of Mao, the nationalists fled the country to Taiwan and set up government there. The communists also decided to invade Tibet, claiming that it is and always has been an integral part of China. With the spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan people, the Dalai Lama, in exile since 1959, the Tibetan people have been slowly amalgamised into the “One China” that the government promotes since they are without their leader in a position to push for independence and individuality. Taiwan is also pushing its own national identity as a major issue. The independence and/or autonomy from or with China is a major issue for both China and Tibet. As it stands, it is unlikely that any progress will be made any time soon in regards to Tibetan independence: “Chinas president Hu has already pretty much ruled out any major breakthroughs with the Dalai Lama. Chinas state-run media have reverted propaganda from to the Cultural Revolution with a 9/11 twist, describing Tibets spiritual leader as a "jackal" in a monks habit and a ‘terrorist’” (USAToday.com, 2008). Taiwanese, on the other hand, are unable to officially declare themselves as separate from China but have achieved the sort of autonomy that Tibet is seeking: “Taiwan has completed its transition to become a genuine democracy in 2000” (Wang et al 2006, pp. 377). A close examination of these issues will help to explain the differences between Taiwan and Tibet, how these areas both came to be in the situations that they are in, and what is most likely for the future of them both. Communism is an attempt to make everyone equal under the government before the theoretical disbanding of government. The whole idea of communist governments rests on the idea that people are not ready or willing to willingly give up all of their personal property, which is a major factor in inequality, so the government is forced to intercede and take away people’s properties. This is the reason behind the re-education policy implemented under Mao’s government which sent many college educated citizens into the country side where they were forced to work hard and dangerous labor. Religion and ethnic identities are also attributed to aspects of inequality, and therefore the Chinese government felt it was necessary to not recognize any religions or other cultures in their official policies. This is the reasoning behind the “One China” agenda as promoted by the Chinese government. For reasons dating back many centuries, China considers Tibet to be a part of China, though Tibetans considers themselves to be a separate country, nationality, and identity from China. In order to pursue the “One China” agenda, China invaded Tibet, and the Dalai Lama eventually fled the country in 1959 to India along with many other refugees. Since then the Dalai Lama has led a sort of exiled government hoping to be able to restore independence to his country and to be restored to his position as spiritual leader in his country. Outright independence is not likely to ever happen without a complete rearrangement of the power structure within the PRC’s government. The only thing that the Dalai Lama has been able to affect are the human rights violation that led to the deaths of unknown Tibetans by appealing to the Western media. Since the 1980’s the Dalai Lama has been in negotiations in something that he calls the “Middle Way,” which is a compromise which seeks to gain autonomy for Tibet while still officially remaining under Chinese rule. Many Tibetans have grown gradually more cynical as to whether the Dalai Lama will ever be able to gain any amount of autonomy or independence for Tibet: “’There is a growing frustration within the Tibetan community, especially the younger generation,’ Rigzin said. ‘His holiness brand of middle way has been in existence for the last 20 years. And as of right now, nothing has come of it whatsoever’” (ABCnews.com, 2008). Most any sort of gathered protests or call for independence from Tibetan citizens not in exile leads to violence and death as China sends troops to suppress these protests. This sort of violence has a strong resonance in Taiwan. The recent protests in Tibet in March of this year ended in violence. This in turn casts doubt with the Taiwanese as to how close they feel that they want their political relationship with China to be. The current government in Taiwan is a result of the nationalists fleeing China in defeat. Since then the PRC has not had actual control over Taiwan, though it has stated that it considers Taiwan to be a part of China and any official declarations of independence will be met with an attack by the Chinese army. The United States, however, has pledged to defend Taiwan from any sort of attack by China, though obviously the United States would be unhappy with any sort of overt action taken by Taiwan that would incite an attack by China. So deeply entrenched is the Taiwanese issue with China that all political parties are split between independence and reunification concerns: “Ever since the establishment of the Democratic Progressive Party, the independence versus unification question has been one of the primary issues by which political parties in Taiwan establish their identities and distinguish themselves from each other” (Niou 2004, pp 555). John Pomfret on April 15, 2008 10:09 AM http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/pomfretschina/2008/04/tibet_wont_move_china_but_taiw.html By Paul Wiseman, USA TODAY http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-03-20-taiwan_N.htm Understanding Taiwan Independence and Its Policy Implications Emerson M. S. Niou Asian Survey, Vol. 44, No. 4 (Jul. - Aug., 2004), pp. 555-567 External Threats and Political Tolerance in Taiwan T. Y. Wang and G. Andy Chang Political Research Quarterly, Vol. 59, No. 3 (Sep., 2006), pp. 377-388 External Threats and Political Tolerance in Taiwan T. Y. Wang and G. Andy Chang Political Research Quarterly, Vol. 59, No. 3 (Sep., 2006), pp. 377-388 http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/17/tibet.unrest/index.html On Tibet Frontlines, Protestors Shot Like Dogs Unconfirmed Reports From Tibet of Dozens of Civilians Killed in Crackdown By NICK SCHIFRIN DHARAMSALA, India, March 17, 2008 http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=4468783&page=1 Read More