On the Right - Coming Up: Taiwan.(Brief Article)(Column)

NEW YORK, APRIL 17

The moment is not far away when we will face what is most conveniently referred to as The Taiwan Question. The tense fortnight following the EP-3 incident taught us nothing conclusive, but demonstrated once again the profound nationalistic mood of the people of China. A summary of what we learned (or, of what we were reminded) was brilliantly done by John Derbyshire, writing in National Review. In his essay on China he writes, "Find a mainlander, preferably one under the age of thirty, and ask him which of the following he would prefer: for the Communists to stay in power indefinitely, unreformed, but in full control of the 'three T's' (Tibet, Turkestan, Taiwan); or a democratic, constitutional government without the three T's. His answer will depress you. You can even try this unhappy little experiment with dissidents: same answer."

It is all the more remarkable, from a Western perspective, when we are reminded not only that Taiwan has been under Peking supervision a mere four years in the last century, but that before it was taken by the Japanese in 1895 it was less than an integral part of China, being a mere prefecture of Fujian Province under the Manchu dynasty. But that has not lessened the passion of the Chinese for reannexation, and of course it has helped the historical dilemma not at all that everybody in sight-not only the Chinese, but the Taiwanese, the Americans, and the United Nations-repeat the catechism of One China. Suppose that at some point ahead Peking were to say that at the end of the then-current month, Taipei must disband its military forces and receive a delegation from Peking which will, upon landing, take effective ...