IS TAIWAN A POSSESSION OF THE UNITED STATES?

To the Point News ^ | 8/11/05 | Jack Wheeler

[abigail2]

Boy this is news to me!

[abigail2]

There's going to be a hot debate in Congress as it realizes it's been handed a sizzling hot potato. America owns Taiwan. What is it going to do with it? Is this news to everyone else too?

[CarrotAndStick]

Ping!

[RightWhale]

Sort of a surprise, but not totally. America has been interested in the Pacific islands from the Sandwich Islands to Asia since before the Civil War. If some of the islands are de facto territories, so be it.

[minus_273]

"Further, as Taiwan is a U.S. territorial possession, the United States government is legally obliged to defend it. "

we are already legally required to defend them.

[abigail2]

Chiang Ki Ping...

[Jeff Head]

Well, I don't believe we actually own Taiwan at all. But I know this, many, many in the ROC would welcome becoming our 51st state. That would poke a stick in the ChiComms eye now wouldn't it? If they freely voted to enter the UNion and then oif a Republican congress ratified such a treaty.

Not going to happen...but I know a lot of people there would welcome it.

[abigail2]

we are already legally required to defend them.

How so?

[atomicpossum]

Hee-hee-hee...............

[HiTech RedNeck]

new flag: 50 stars and a chinese gong.

[NY Attitude]

Very interesting. The US has much to lose should Taiwan come under the rule of the PRC.

[Fishing-guy]

Articles that describe this have been posted at this forum forever now, and nobody is gullible enough to believe it. Besides, it requires a US military government for this to work, and we haven't had a military government since??????

If you read the Taiwan Relations Act carefully, it specifically addresses ROC.

[RightWhale]

We don't recognize Taiwan as a sovereign state and we don't have an embassy there. Must be a territory, except there would be a governor of some kind.

[abigail2]

This means that the USMG remained the sovereign legal authority in Taiwan. Article 4(b) of the treaty states this in recognizing the authority of "the United States Military Government in any of the areas referred to in Articles 2 and 3," as does Article 23(a) recognizing "the United States of America as the principal occupying Power." This treaty is still in effect. In the opinion of a number of scholars of international law, Taiwan is neither a province of China over which the PRC has legitimate sovereignty, nor is Taiwan a sovereign state of itself. It is, rather, an overseas territory of the U.S.

I wonder if the Taiwanese know this?

[RightWhale]

That's true, we haven't kept the homestead up. Near abandonment of the claim.

[infidel29]

self ping to read more in depth tomorrow.

[abigail2]

LOL

[muawiyah]

There are several routes to the conclusion that Formosa belongs to the US. One is that the US has a treaty with Spain making it the successor state to Spain in the Pacific. Spain, in turn, is the successor state to Portugal in many other treaties also affecting rights in the Pacific, and Portugal OWNED Formosa ~ that's why it's called Formosa in fact!

That there is even any question of our ownership is what surprises me!

[abigail2]

What does it say about the Republic of China?

[dljordan]

"There's going to be a hot debate in Congress as it realizes it's been handed a sizzling hot potato."

I can hear the feathers growing on the legs of congresscritters as I type this. Buk, buk, buk, buk.....