[News Terms] Focus on Taiwan President's Inaugural Address... One China? Both Sides of the Strait as One Family?

With the inauguration of Taiwan's president scheduled for the 20th, attention is focused on how President-elect Lai Ching-te will define relations with China in his inaugural address.

On the 17th, a Taiwan Air Force Chinook helicopter was flying over Taipei, Taiwan, carrying a large Taiwanese flag, rehearsing for the inauguration ceremony of the newly appointed President Lai Ching-te, which is three days away.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

It is unlikely that President-elect Lai will include the "One China" principle, which China consistently asserts, in his inaugural speech, but there is a view that the phrase "both sides of the strait are one family" may be included in line with the recent spread of pro-China sentiment.

The "One China" principle is based on the equation "China = People's Republic of China," meaning that China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan are inseparable as one, and that there is only one legitimate government of China. Since the Chinese Civil War in 1949, it has been a sensitive keyword in cross-strait (China and Taiwan) relations.

According to this principle asserted by China, China exists as the only one in the world, so Taiwan is also part of its territory. Furthermore, since China's sovereignty and territory cannot be divided, unification must eventually occur, which is China's position. Accordingly, China classifies Taiwan as a special administrative region similar to Hong Kong and Macau.

China also demands support for the "One China" principle from countries that have diplomatic relations with it, such as South Korea, the United States, and Japan. However, this is limited to official relations, and unofficial relations with Taiwan are tolerated. South Korea's decision to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan and maintain only unofficial relations following the establishment of diplomatic relations with China in 1992 is also based on supporting the "One China" principle.

On the other hand, the expression "both sides of the strait are one family" emphasizes the kinship between China and Taiwan. It does not explicitly state whether they are one country or separate countries, thus avoiding China's demand to accept the 1992 Consensus and Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party government's independence claims, earning it the evaluation of a "neutral expression." This phrase was mainly used by Ke Wenzhe, a candidate from the Taiwan People's Party who trailed behind the Kuomintang's Hou You-yi, the runner-up in the presidential election.

Meanwhile, South Korea plans to send only Lee Eun-ho, the head of the Korean Representative Office in Taipei, to Taiwan's presidential inauguration and will not dispatch a government delegation. This decision follows the precedent of the Korean Representative Office head attending Taiwan's presidential inaugurations but also appears to reflect an intention to manage South Korea-China relations amicably. At the inauguration of current Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen in 2016, South Korea also did not send a government delegation, with attendance limited to the head of the Korean Representative Office in Taipei and spouse, along with four incumbent lawmakers.