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The Myth of “One China”

In: The “One China” Dilemma

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  • Edward L. Dreyer

Abstract

“There is only ‘One China,’ and Taiwan”—or Tibet, or Xinjiang, or some other territory—“has always been part of that China.”1 This at least is the official position of the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), repeated again and again by spokespersons who remain relentlessly on this message. The message is well suited to the PRC’s contemporary political needs, and it permits the PRC to deny the legitimacy of any aspirations to independence on the part of Tibetans, Uighurs, Mongols, or any other minority ethnic group. Since their territories have “always” been part of “China,” their histories are, in some sense, part of Chinese history, even if the peoples in question are not native speakers of Chinese and do not identify with the dominant Han nationality.2 If Taiwan has always been part of China, then surely the PRC government has the right to “reunify” the island with the mainland, even though the PRC has never exercised any authority over Taiwan. The “One China” doctrine thus underlies a powerful claim to Taiwan that is widely, if not universally, recognized by the international community.

Suggested Citation

  • Edward L. Dreyer, 2008. "The Myth of “One China”," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Peter C. Y. Chow (ed.), The “One China” Dilemma, chapter 0, pages 19-36, Palgrave Macmillan.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:palchp:978-0-230-61193-1_2
    DOI: 10.1057/9780230611931_2
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