Media get Taiwan history wrongBy Gerrit van der WeesThere is no doubt that US-China relations are tense, as — under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) — the communist government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is increasing its political, economic and military pressure on democratically governed Taiwan. During the next three to four decades, the Chinese Nationalists occupying Taiwan continued their claim to rule China. And this leads to the second misconception one often finds in international media: That “one China policy” means that the West recognizes Taiwan as part of China. Thus, the international media would bring more balance to their reporting if they included language highlighting Taiwan’s own history, culture and existence separate from China. He now teaches the history of Taiwan at George Mason University, and US relations with East Asia at the George Washington University Elliott School for International Affairs.
