The Foreign Service Journal, May 2005

For Beijing, this means no use of force or threat to use force against Taiwan. For Taipei, it means exercising pru- dence in managing all aspects of cross-strait relations. For both sides, it means no statements or actions that would unilaterally alter Taiwan’s status.” During the Q&A period afterward, Kelly was asked to define further the “one China” policy. He admitted, “I cannot very eas- ily define it. I can tell you what it is not. It is not the one- China policy or the one-China principle that Beijing sug- gests, and it may not be the definition that some would have in Taiwan.” With the passage of time, the concept of “one China” became increasingly scrutinized by scholars in the West, especially since Taiwan has undergone profound trans- formation from authoritarianism to democracy. Some have openly questioned the application of the one-China concept to Taiwan and even suggested a new framework to redefine the relationship in order to reduce misunder- standing. However, neither the PRC nor the ROC has ever retreated from the notion that Taiwan is part of China, and its claim of sovereignty over the island is not in dispute. As recently as January 2005, Beijing pulled out Jiang Zemin’s “Eight Points Speech,” delivered in 1995, to underscore the Chinese position on Taiwan. Key points include: “Adherence to the principle of one China is the basis and premise for peaceful reunification. China’s sovereignty and territory must never be allowed to suffer [a] split. We must firmly oppose any words or actions aimed at creating an independent Taiwan and the propositions which are in contravention of the principle of one China.” OnMarch 14, 2005, China’s National People’s Congress went further, enacting an anti-secession law by a vote of 2,896 to zero. The measure enshrines in law the PRC’s determination to prevent “independence forces” from separating Taiwan from China, warning that should peaceful means prove futile in reunification efforts, the government in Beijing “shall employ non-peaceful means and other measures to protect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity ...” (Article 8). F O C U S M A Y 2 0 0 5 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 61