President Lai talks Taiwan's identity, sovereignty at democracy forum

Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chose not to change Taiwan’s official name from the Republic of China to promote social unity.

On Dec. 6, President Lai Ching-te spoke at the opening of the Legacy of Free China and the Trials of Contemporary Democracy forum, which examined the influence of the Kuomintang-sponsored periodical "Free China" published in Taiwan in the late 1940s and 1950s, TTV News reported.

During his speech, Lai recalled the 1972 proposal by the periodical’s founder and political dissident Lei Chen (雷震) to rename the Republic of China as the Democratic State of China-Taiwan and renounce claims over mainland China. After coming to power, the DPP chose to keep the Republic of China name to promote unity among all Taiwanese, Lai said.

After losing the Chinese Civil War to the Chinese Communist Party in 1949, the Republic of China (ROC) government retreated from mainland China and established its administration on Taiwan.

China regards Taiwan as a breakaway province and has not ruled out the use of force to achieve unification.

Lai told his audience that the Republic of China’s name is enshrined in the Constitution, which defines Taiwan as a sovereign and independent country, meaning there is no need for a new declaration of independence.

Lei Chen was a high-ranking KMT official during the party’s authoritarian period under Taiwan’s then-President Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石). He was expelled from the party in 1954 and arrested on sedition charges in 1960 after attempting to form the China Democracy Party as an opposition party to the KMT.

Taiwanization and name rectification

Lai’s comments relate to Taiwan’s post-martial-law Taiwanization movement, which emphasized a distinct Taiwanese identity, culture, and political autonomy. The movement, which influenced education and language policies, was supported by Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), Taiwan’s first directly elected president.

On May 11, 2002, local and civic organizations launched the “511 Taiwan Name Rectification Movement,” with former President Lee Teng-hui as the honorary convener. The movement called for officially adopting “Taiwan” as the country’s name and for the island to join the United Nations under that name.

Several of the movement’s goals were reflected in government policies after the DPP took power in 2000.

In 2003, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a redesigned passport that added the word “Taiwan” in English on the cover. The passport was revised again in 2021 to make the word “Taiwan” more prominent, enlarging the lettering while reducing “Republic of China” to small text encircling a sun emblem at the center of the cover.

In 2018, Taiwan held a referendum on whether its Olympic team should compete under the name “Team Taiwan” instead of “Chinese Taipei” at the Tokyo Olympics. The proposal was rejected, with 54.8% of the votes cast against it and 45.2% in favor.

Lee Teng-hui’s "Two-State" legacy

In 2020, Taiwan’s Central News Agency wrote that former President Lee Teng-hui’s legacy was his assertion that Taiwan and China are separate countries, that the Chinese Communist Party has never ruled Taiwan, and that constitutional amendments define cross-strait ties as a “special state-to-state relationship,” known as the Two-State Theory.

The KMT view

KMT party leader Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) described Lai’s remarks as an attempt to soften the narrative of the “Two-State Theory.”

“If President Lai truly believes there is no Taiwan independence issue and no need to declare independence,” she said, “then I sincerely hope President Lai, as party chairman, will remove and formally abolish the pro-independence platform,” PTS reported.

Evolving DPP positions on independence

The Democratic Progressive Party’s Party Platform, which outlines its positions on Taiwan’s sovereignty and governance, states that its first core principle is the establishment of a “Republic of Taiwan” as a sovereign, independent, and autonomous nation.

The document states that Taiwan is a sovereign state, describing it as a historical fact and a de facto reality that the island is not part of the People’s Republic of China and that its sovereignty does not extend over mainland China. The stance is commonly referred to as the party’s independence clause.

In 1999, the DPP updated its platform by adopting the “Resolution on Taiwan’s Future,” which acknowledges that the island’s official name, the Republic of China, is enshrined in its Constitution. It also states that any change to Taiwan’s political status must be decided by residents through a referendum.

Hurdles to de jure independence

Despite Lai’s statement that there is no need to declare independence again, some in Taiwan remain unconvinced.

Professor Chi Ho-chun (紀和均) of Taiwan’s National Chung Hsing University told TCN he thinks that President Lai may personally still intend to realize the DPP’s original independence clause, but emphasized that intention does not necessarily translate into practical ability.

De jure Taiwan independence, said Chi, faces significant constraints, including the need for a strong domestic consensus, approval through a referendum, and the influence of external geopolitical forces.

China enacted its Anti-Secession Law in 2005, giving itself a legal basis to use force against Taiwan if it secedes or is deemed likely to do so.

Taiwan does not recognize the law. The Mainland Affairs Council said earlier this year that it has no legal effect on Taiwanese and does not change Taiwan’s status as a sovereign nation.

“The country of the Taiwanese people”

Taiwan’s interior minister Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) told reporters on Dec. 7 that many people feel Taiwanese when traveling abroad and regard Taiwan as the country of the Taiwanese people, Liberty Times reported. Liu said many supporters believe Taiwan is a sovereign and independent country, and that its current national title is the Republic of China.

We the people

Public opinion in Taiwan on independence is complex and continually evolving, shaped by the island’s historically sensitive and politically fraught relationship with China. This is reflected in local opinion polling

A recent My-Formosa survey found 31.2% of respondents support formal independence, while 31.7% favor maintaining the status quo indefinitely.

Asked whether Taiwan and mainland China belong to “one China,” 65.7% said no, compared with 26.4% who said yes.

A separate poll by the World United Formosans for Independence, cited by Taiwanese outlet Newtalk, showed stronger backing for independence, with 44.3% in favor and 38.9% supporting the status quo. When respondents were asked to choose without the option of maintaining the status quo, support for independence rose to 60.9%, while unification drew 21.8%.

When asked about identity, 31.6% of respondents identified solely as Taiwanese, 23.6% identified solely as citizens of the Republic of China, and 6% as Chinese.