The Legal Status of Taiwan

In the article, the author dwells on one of the most acute political problems of our time — the legal status of Taiwan. To characterize the legal status of the island, it is necessary to refer to its history. For many centuries, Taiwan has been under the jurisdiction of different countries, which could not but have an impact on the cultural and economic remoteness of the island from mainland China. The author describes the socio-political life of the island in various periods of its development, namely: during the Dutch conquest, under the influence of the Ming and Qing dynasties, during the period of Japanese rule, as well as the position of the island as part of the Republic of China. Each of these periods had a huge impact on the culture and economic development of the island. The author specifies the objective and subjective circumstances that caused the establishment of uncertain position of the island and defines the role of foreign states in this process. Special attention is paid to the characteristics of international treaties regulating the status of the island, including: the Treaty of Shimonoseki (1895), the Cairo Declaration (1943), the Act of Surrender of Japan (1945), the San Francisco Peace Treaty (1951). The author also describes the political environment conducive to their adoption. The issue of the legal status of Taiwan is debatable: a number of countries recognize the island as a sovereign state, establish international relations with it, while other countries — including the Russian Federation — consider Taiwan as a province of the People›s Republic of China. Such uncertainty can lead to the most terrible consequences.

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