By Mehmet Ozay
JAKARTA
The date October 10 signifies the National Day of Taiwan, or "Republic of China" with its official name.
The meaning and the importance of the “National Day” goes back to the "Wuchang Uprising", which set the political distinction between traditional China and modern China and led to the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911.
It is not an ordinary thing that this significant date is celebrated in Taiwan and not in mainland China. On the contrary, it shows the foundation of a political transformation that continues even to this date.
The Qing Dynasty -- Empire of the Great Qing or the Manchu dynasty -- making way to the “Republic of China” in October 10, 1911 was historically important for both China and the region.
Age of ideologies and China
The reason why the anniversary has been celebrated in Taiwan but not in communist China for years resulted from ideological separation and a series of ideological struggles on the way to declaring a republic.
The name “Republic of China” is important because of its organic ties with the new political regime after the dynasty collapsed in 1911. In the 20th century -- as a progression of “the ideologies age” of the 19th century -- the political agenda of China was topped by the conflict between nationalism and communism.
Within this scope, after the civil war between the Communist Party of China and the nationalist “Kuomintang” (KMT), communists dominated the mainland in 1949, while the nationalists made a new political structure named the “Republic of China” (ROC) on Taipei Island.
For the reasons mentioned above, the date October 10 is not only the day to celebrate “National Day” in Taiwan, but also an occasion for discussions refueled about the current political regime in the mainland.
Frankly, Taiwan assuming the political heritage of the developments of 1911 and whether or not there are “memories” of it on the mainland signifies a political disintegration.
Taiwan's National Day commemorates the 1911 Wuchang Uprising, which led to the collapse of the Qing Dynasty and the establishment of the ROC.
The government of the ROC eventually lost control in the mainland during the Chinese Civil War (1927-1950) and relocated to Taiwan in December 1949.
The year 2016 was not different from other years, as the communist Chinese government criticized Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s remarks to a foreign outlet, saying her statements did not comply with “national sovereignty” and “regional integration”.
"Our pledges will not change and our goodwill will not change. But we will not bow to pressure and we will of course not revert to the old path of confrontation. This is our fundamental attitude toward maintaining the status quo, and it is based on the collective hope for peace across the Taiwan Strait,” Tsai said while addressing the island’s people on the anniversary Monday.
Besides, the international participation in Taiwan's ceremonies makes the Taiwanese people's cause heard around the world.
The United States’ approach
After the communist victory in mainland China in 1949, the United States government developed an isolation policy toward China, while building relations with nationalists in Taiwan.
This policy is an example of U.S. efforts to prevent communist regimes in the Far East.
After then U.S. President Richard Nixon's “surprise” visit to China in 1972, Taiwan rapidly lost its international prestige.
Relations between Taiwan and the U.S. turned into more economic ties rather than political and military support.
Taiwan's political approach to China
The KMT, which dominated Taiwan's politics for the past five decades, draws attention as a political movement that does not rule out possible political merging with mainland China.
On the other hand, the Democratic Progress Party (DPP), which was founded in the mid-1980s and first acquired ruling party status in 2000, shines out with its attitude toward full sovereignty.
At this point, the deciding point in Taiwan’s relations with China comes down to “political identities”. While the KMT goes with the “Chinese” approach, the DPP prefers a more “Taiwanese”-shaped policy.
The DPP had been closely watching developments since 2008, when the rule of the KMT increased cooperation with China. The DPP was worried that Taiwan would increase its dependency on China under the KMT’s leadership and the mainland would use this as leverage for its “one China” project.
With the DPP taking power in the beginning of this year, China will be more engaged in its Taiwan policy.
The DPP becoming a leading political power means that the tension with China will only increase, and the two sides will look into new approaches to make political stability permanent.
China’s preference for the “Hong Kong formula”
Since 1997, when Hong Kong returned from British to Chinese rule, China’s government now looks toward the same strategy with Taiwan, stating that it can happen “even by force”.
Three years ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping stated that Taiwan and the mainland could no longer live without an organic political tie, stressing the importance of Taiwan to China.
With the DPP signaling interest in talks without preconditions, China feels threatened that the arguments will pose a danger to its sovereignty.
It will be interesting to see how China and Taiwan will configure the 1992 consensus -- and the "one China" principle it entails -- and how that will affect the region and the world.
