Asian history lesson

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【Summary】Elon Musk is facing criticism for his remark about cross-strait relations, suggesting that Taiwan is an integral part of China. However, the historical context shows that Taiwan ended its ties with China when it was ceded to Japan in 1895. Taiwan has never been under the control or sovereignty of the People's Republic of China. Comparing Taiwan's relationship with China to Hawaii's relationship with the US is inappropriate, as the historical events had different contexts.

FutureCar Staff Sep 25, 2023 4:20 PM PT

Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, and owner of social media platform X, has faced criticism for his recent remarks about cross-strait relations. Musk stated that Beijing's policy is to reunite Taiwan with China and compared Taiwan's situation to that of Hawaii being an integral part of the United States. These comments demonstrate Musk's lack of understanding of Asian history and follow his previous suggestion to make Taiwan a "special administrative zone" like Hong Kong.

The historical context of Taiwan's relationship with China is important to consider. After the Manchu Qing Dynasty ceded Taiwan to Japan in 1895, Taiwan severed all legal and kinship ties with China. Furthermore, the Constitution of the Republic of China, established in 1946, did not explicitly mention Taiwan or any specific geographical area. Since its founding in 1949, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has never had control or sovereignty over Taiwan. Taiwan has consistently maintained that it is a separate entity from China, with both being "one country on each side" without subordination.

In contrast, the United States officially annexed Hawaii in 1898, which is a distinct historical event from Taiwan's relationship with China. Therefore, Musk's comparison between Taiwan and Hawaii is inappropriate, as the two situations have different contexts and conditions.

Musk's claim that Taiwan is an "integral part of China that is arbitrarily not part of China" is simply untrue. If we accept such a remark, it opens the door for other false statements like "Tesla is a non-US company, but is arbitrarily so" or "Space X is a subordinate organization under NASA, but is arbitrarily not so." Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu responded to Musk's remarks by stating that Taiwan is not part of the PRC and is not for sale.

Perhaps Musk should be reminded of the biblical proverb that "Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall." It is important for individuals in influential positions to be well-informed and respectful when discussing complex geopolitical matters.

Hung Yu-jui is a Japanese-language teacher and translator.

Translated by Rita Wang