(BCPM) Taiwan-China Relations Through the Eyes of the Lone Star State

This blog post was written by Aaron Ramos, master’s student in the History Department.

2024 will be an eventful year in the realm of politics. Voters from over 64 countries are scheduled to head to the polls, and their votes will have lasting impacts for years to come. Of particular interest to the folks in Washington, D.C. is the outcome of the Taiwanese presidential election which took place on January 13, 2024. Lai Ching-te of Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party won 40% of the vote, much to the chagrin of mainland China given Ching-te’s vocal support for Taiwanese independence. Ching-te’s victory comes during a time when US-China relations have soured. Both mainland China and the United States have been bolstering their military presence in the Indo-Pacific region and the Taiwanese find themselves caught between these two world powers.

Since the end of World War II, the island of Taiwan has been of strategic interest to the United States. The island became a bastion of democracy in East Asia following the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, when Nationalist forces retreated from Mainland China and established the Republic of China (ROC). Meanwhile on the mainland, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was formed. The establishment of a communist country in East Asia rendered the People’s Republic a pariah from the West in the context of Cold War geopolitics.

 

While the United States has always maintained its support for Taiwan, the Nixon and Carter administrations each took dramatic steps to establish diplomatic and economic ties with the People’s Republic of China. Even so, this relationship has proven to be a double-edged sword. The Jack Hightower papers and the Marvin Leath papers, collections housed at the Baylor Collections of Political Materials, affirm this.

Baylor alum and former Texas congressman Jack Hightower was one of eight members of the Congressional Committee on Agriculture to participate in an Interparliamentary Symposium in Tokyo in late 1978. This symposium also included a trip to the People’s Republic of China to explore the potential market for American cotton. At this juncture, the Chinese were interested in expanding agricultural trade with the United States, creating ties between the Chinese government and American manufacturers, and learning American methods of pest control and agricultural education.[iii] Representative Hightower returned to the United States hopeful that the US and PRC would continue to enjoy improved bilateral ties. Even so, many Texans were concerned with the fate of the United States’ allegiance to Taiwan.

In 1979, Texas congressman Jim Mattox (also a Baylor alum) authored a resolution which would recognize the Republic of China as the sole legitimate authority on the island of Taiwan. Another Texan, Representative Marvin Leath, co-authored this resolution. While Mattox did not wish to harm the bilateral ties created between the US and PRC, he believed it necessary to support Taiwan due to the long-standing relationship between the two democracies and the economic significance of the island to American markets.[v] In short, Mattox was calling for a Two China Policy that recognized the PRC as sovereign over the mainland, and the ROC as sovereign over Taiwan.[vi] This resolution did not pass the House, but the diverse views regarding China-Taiwan relations illustrate that elected officials in Texas have hardly forged a unified front regarding foreign policy in East Asia.

American foreign policy aside, how do the Taiwanese see themselves in this picture? What do the everyday folks in Taiwan want for themselves and their country? In 1949, nationalists in Taiwan were bolstered by the hope that they would one day return to the mainland, even if they had to take it by force. According to a 1955 report in The Christian Science Monitor, Nationalist troops in Taiwan believed that reconquest of the mainland was the only way for them to return home.[viii] But is this still the case? According to The Economist, most Taiwanese favor open communications with Beijing to ease cross-strait tensions.[ix] Moreover, a recent article from NBC shows that the average citizen in Taiwan isn’t overly preoccupied with American geopolitics in Asia. Rather, they are frustrated with inflation, increased housing costs, and lack of job opportunities available to college graduates.[x] In many ways, their struggles seem akin those of many young people, particularly college graduates, here in the States. In a world marred by ongoing conflict and violence, this forces us to wonder what the world would look like if the leaders of nations looked past partisan politics and imperial ideologies to address the needs and concerns of the citizens that voted them into office.

 

References

^[i] Oka, Takashi. “Formosans: What Do They Themselves Want?” The Christian Science Monitor. n.d. O.C. Fisher papers, Accession 46, Correspondence, Formosa, Baylor Collection of Political Materials, W. R. Poage Legislative Library, Baylor University.

[ii] Hightower, Jack. Visa Application, 1978. Jack E. Hightower papers, Personal, General, Travel, China, United States Liaison Office Folder, Baylor Collection of Political Materials, W. R. Poage Legislative Library.

[iii] Telegram from the Department of State, November 1978. Subject: Press statement by Secretary Bergland, 1978. Jack E. Hightower papers, Personal, General, Travel, China, Agriculture, Baylor Collection of Political Materials, W. R. Poage Legislative Library, Baylor University.

[iv] Letter from Jim Mattox to US House of Representatives, 1979. Marvin Leath papers, Accession #14, Box 357, Folder 1. Baylor Collection of Political Materials, W. R. Poage Legislative Library, Baylor University.

[v] 96 Cong. H. Con. Res. 41, Chinese Taiwan, Marvin Leath papers, Accession #14, Box 357, folder 1. Baylor Collection of Political Materials, W. R. Poage Legislative Library, Baylor University

[vi] 96 Cong. H. Con. Res. 41, Chinese Taiwan, Marvin Leath papers, Accession #14, Box 357, folder 1. Baylor Collection of Political Materials, W. R. Poage Legislative Library, Baylor University

[vii] Photo from US delegation to Taiwan, 1984. Jack E. Hightower papers, Personal, General, Visit of US Congressional Delegation to the People’s Republic of China, Baylor Collection of Political Materials, W. R. Poage Legislative Library, Baylor University.

[viii] Joseph C. Harsch, “State of the Nations: Root of the Formosa Problem.” The Christian Science Monitor, 1955. O.C. Fisher papers, Correspondence, Formosa, Box 57, Folder 15. Baylor Collection of Political Materials. W. R. Poage Legislative Library, Baylor University.

^[ix] “Lai Ching-Te Will Be the next President of Taiwan.” The Economist, January 13, 2024. https://www.economist.com/interactive/2024-taiwan-election.

^[x] Mackey, Janis, Jay Ganglani, and Alice Kong. “Taiwan Election: Voters Head to the Polls.” NBCNews.com, January 12, 2024. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/taiwan-presidential-election-us-china-relations-rcna132798.