The Student Room Group

Is Taiwan a country?

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Reply 80
Original post by Londonburger
Unbelievable! Are you native Chinese speaking...???!!!! And you can't understand Taiwanese...??!!! No way, No way....


Not native - it's very much my second language. But anyway, as I said before the brunt of my argument was directed at Jingers. You got caught in the crossfire :tongue:
Original post by joostan
Not native - it's very much my second language. But anyway, as I said before the brunt of my argument was directed at Jingers. You got caught in the crossfire :tongue:


Oh right..

So you are half Chinese.
Reply 82
Original post by Londonburger
Oh right..

So you are half Chinese.


Half taiwanese.


You don't mess with those Gambians. The PRC are quaking in their boots.
Original post by joostan
Half taiwanese.


So why you speak Mandarin rather than Taiwanese?
Reply 85
Original post by Londonburger
So why you speak Mandarin rather than Taiwanese?


cos i do
The main issue with this question is the 'One China' policy that both sides have adopted - you are only allowed to recognise one regime as the rightful government of all mainland China and Taiwan, and that must be either the PRC or the ROC (and this also precludes support for Tibetan independence). The vast majority of states opt to recognise the PRC, though the vast majority also have more informal relations with the ROC as well.

Unlike other seemingly similar issues such as Israel-Palestine or Kosovo-Serbia, there's increasingly less motivation to 'solve' the China issue as both sides largely accept the status quo: the PRC accept that without the explicit approval of the Taiwanese population (which is unlikely), Taiwan cannot be annexed; the ROC accept that they're never going to 'retake' the mainland, yet both governments maintain the position that that's what they aim for.

Some in Taiwan want to abandon the idea of the ROC and instead simply push the identity of an independent Taiwanese state, but this is problematic for two reasons:

1. The PRC (and probably Russia too, but that's less important) will certainly block any recognition of an independent Taiwan by the UN.

2. Many on the right in Taiwan don't see much to gain from it; they see themselves as victims of a historic injustice that forced them to flee their homes; rather than Taiwanese, they consider themselves to be exiles from the mainland, and that relinquishing the claim of the ROC to all China would be legitimising that injustice, and all just for a seat at the UN.

As the Chinese Civil War moves more and more out of memory, I expect reason 2 to increasingly disappear, but reason 1 means that the China situation is unlikely to change for some time.
Reply 87
Original post by Red Richie
hstory lessons over here do kinda revolve around europe and america


a shameful situation in my book
Reply 88
Original post by joostan
cos i do


Because you are Chinese by blood.
Reply 89
Original post by hackashaq
Because you are Chinese by blood.


No, because 1.3 billion people speak mandarin, and not even the whole population of Taiwan (~23million) speak Taiwanese. Practicalities come first.
Reply 90
Original post by joostan
No, because 1.3 billion people speak mandarin, and not even the whole population of Taiwan (~23million) speak Taiwanese. Practicalities come first.


Invalid argument. Your ethnicity is Chinese. End of story.
It's a very nationalistic place with very few immigrants. Nothing like England which is an unpatriotic country full of foreigners.

If England could be even a bit like Taiwan, it would be a better place for it.
Original post by hackashaq
Invalid argument. Your ethnicity is Chinese. End of story.


That's like saying Australians are British because they speak English and are mostly of British ancestry.
Original post by Londonburger
So why you speak Mandarin rather than Taiwanese?


So you would say that an American who speaks English must be British because he speaks English?

Yeah, that makes sense...
*cough* yes ....
Reply 95
Original post by hackashaq
Invalid argument. Your ethnicity is Chinese. End of story.


Your arrogance astounds me. I consider myself English first, and then certainly Taiwanese second.
Evidently you've made up your mind about what's what but I'd rather like to think that I can judge whether or not an argument is valid.
Even if I was Chinese, what would it matter? I'd still be entitled to an opinion.
Reply 96
Original post by joostan
Your arrogance astounds me. I consider myself English first, and then certainly Taiwanese second.
Evidently you've made up your mind about what's what but I'd rather like to think that I can judge whether or not an argument is valid.
Even if I was Chinese, what would it matter? I'd still be entitled to an opinion.


Firstly, there is a difference between nationality and ethnicity. Your ethnicity may be British if you have a British passport. But ethnicity refers to your race. Unless you're a Taiwanese aborigine who probably lived in the mountains of East Taiwan, then you are Chinese by blood. About 99% of Taiwan's population are ethnic Han Chinese (talking ethnicity here) so no matter what your opinion is, science states your ethnicity is Chinese, despite possibly your parents being born in Taiwan.
Reply 97
Original post by hackashaq
Firstly, there is a difference between nationality and ethnicity. Your ethnicity may be British if you have a British passport. But ethnicity refers to your race. Unless you're a Taiwanese aborigine who probably lived in the mountains of East Taiwan, then you are Chinese by blood. About 99% of Taiwan's population are ethnic Han Chinese (talking ethnicity here) so no matter what your opinion is, science states your ethnicity is Chinese, despite possibly your parents being born in Taiwan.

By your argument we're all black african.
Ethnicity:
Noun

The fact or state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition.
Reply 98
Original post by joostan
By your argument we're all black african.
Ethnicity:
Noun

The fact or state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition.


Well to be honest, we are all black African if we go back far enough. But we're talking recent ancestry now. Come on now, ok you're a British national alright, your parents are from Taiwan ok, and your ethnicity is Chinese. That's a fair thing to say?
Reply 99
Original post by hackashaq
Well to be honest, we are all black African if we go back far enough. But we're talking recent ancestry now. Come on now, ok you're a British national alright, your parents are from Taiwan ok, and your ethnicity is Chinese. That's a fair thing to say?


I'm done arguing.

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