Backdoor Listing: Chiang Kai-shek and the Shaping of the Republic of China (Taiwan)

Taiwan, Republic of China - neither the "Republic of China" nor "Taiwan"!
How did Chiang Kai-shek "borrow the shell" of the Republic of China to allow Taiwan's nationhood to be "listed"?
This analysis of the Cold War era, in which Taiwan, the United States, Britain, China, the Soviet Union, and the United Nations wrestled with various issues, provides a comprehensive explanation of the disputes over Taiwan's national sovereignty and international status.

Wang Hao argues that since the Nationalist government retreated to Taiwan in 1949, the Republic of China (ROC) has existed in name only, a mere shell. "Listing through a shell" refers to a private company injecting assets into another publicly traded company with a lower market capitalization, leveraging its listing status to allow the private company's assets to be listed as well. The title of this book, "Listing through a Shell," derives from this concept: On March 1, 1950, Chiang Kai-shek, previously in opposition, announced his "return to office," directly bypassing the Constitution of the Republic of China and reassuming the presidential powers. Chiang Kai-shek used Taiwan as a base for anti-communism, exploiting the already established, internationally recognized, hollow shell of the ROC to establish the "Republic of China, Taiwan"—a country that was neither the ROC nor Taiwan.

▉Taiwan’s sovereignty is undecided: Who owns Taiwan?

On May 20, 2020, President Tsai Ing-wen stated in her inaugural address: "Over the past seventy years, the Republic of China (Taiwan) has emerged stronger and more united in the face of challenge after challenge..." Clearly, the DPP government's perspective on Taiwan's status aligns with Wang Hao's—both sides believe that the history of the Republic of China (Taiwan) began in 1950, not 1912. However, while the current government does claim the Republic of China (Taiwan), it lacks a comprehensive narrative, which motivated Wang Hao to write "Going Public in a Borrowed Shell."

This book explores, among other things, the question of "What is the true relationship between the Republic of China and Taiwan?" and "Where did Taiwan's sovereignty ultimately lead?" Another key focus is Chiang Kai-shek, the "unexpected founding father," whose attitudes and decisions, after his return to office in March 1950, shaped Taiwan's foreign policy and destiny for decades. Drawing on archives on Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Kai-shek, gradually released by the National Museum of History in recent years, Wang Hao unravels history, revealing Chiang Kai-shek's anxieties and resentments, his reflections, and his self-motivation as Taiwan faced internal and external troubles.

After Japan's defeat in World War II, the 1951 Treaty of San Francisco formally renounced its sovereignty over Taiwan and Penghu. However, the treaty did not specify to which country Taiwan and Penghu would be returned, leaving Taiwan's sovereignty uncertain. Due to the lack of a clear legal basis, Taiwan's international status remains a subject of debate as of 2020. The Kuomintang (KMT) maintains that the Republic of China (ROC) holds sovereignty over Taiwan; the mainstream view within the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is that "the ROC is Taiwan." Pro-independence advocates for a complete separation of Taiwan from the ROC through constitutional amendment, name rectification, and independence. Others believe that Taiwan remains under a postwar UN trusteeship.

Wang Hao pointed out that the sovereignty dispute in Taiwan is not simply due to the intense struggle between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. It is also related to the complex and treacherous international politics. The United States, Britain, the Soviet Union, the United Nations and other forces are all involved. In particular, the United States, which has always been regarded as an ally of Taiwan, has led the policy of "neutralizing the Taiwan Strait" and "internationalizing (complicating) the Taiwan issue." Although this policy has ensured that Taiwan is not invaded by the Communist Party and established a situation of separation between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, it has also plunged Taiwan into an ambiguous state of unresolved sovereignty.

▉Learning from the Past: Restoring the Historical Truth and Embarking on a New Era for Taiwan

Whether you're a pro-independence or pro-blue, unificationist or pro-independence advocate, you can't completely deny the Republic of China's over seventy-year history in Taiwan; the relationship between the two cannot be completely severed. Wang Hao urges Taiwanese politicians, regardless of party affiliation, to squarely acknowledge the historical reality and national consciousness of "Republic of China Taiwan." Only then can they resolve today's national identity dilemma and forge a new path for Taiwan's future.

As for Chiang Kai-shek, the "accidental founding father," was he a "national savior" who defended Taiwan against communism? Or was he a "dictator" under the White Terror? Wang Hao stated that with the declassification of archives on Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo, Taiwanese people can more objectively assess Chiang's historical merits and demerits.

Ultimately, only by fairly understanding the historical context and impartially evaluating historical figures can we understand how Taiwan's sovereign status came to this point and, in turn, consider where Taiwan's future lies. Only by thoroughly implementing "transitional justice" can Taiwanese people reconcile with the past and move forward hand in hand to create a new situation.

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Ming Juzheng | Professor Emeritus of the Department of Political Science, National Taiwan University; Chang Kuo-cheng | Professor of the Center for General Education, Taipei Medical University and Advisory Committee Member of the Taiwan Think Tank; Huang Kewu | Distinguished Researcher at the Institute of Modern History, Academia Sinica (Listed in alphabetical order)

2020-08-05

八旗文化

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