Taiwan: The Right to Choose

Before I decided it would be a good idea to watch aeroplanes all day, I spent a couple of years working in Taiwan.  It's an absolutely fascinating place and full of the friendliest people I've come across on my travels.  If you are anything like I was before I went, Taiwan is probably a place you've heard of, but don't actually know terribly much about.  If you were bought up in the 80s, you probably associate the word "Taiwan" with the phrase "Made In" and a cheap plastic dinosaur toy.  If you're slightly more up with the play, you probably are picturing LCD monitors and laptops.

What you may not know about Taiwan is that only a very small number of countries recognise Taiwan as an independent state including, amongst other superpowers, Swaziland, Haiti, Kiribati and (oddly) the Vatican City.  Every other country on earth, including New Zealand, refuses recognition mainly because they are afraid of being shat on by the People's Republic of China who maintain that Taiwan is merely a rebellious province in the PRC's sovereign territory.  They back up their claim with a large number of ballistic missiles on constant readiness to atomise Taiwan's 23 million (closely-packed!) residents and various other tactics befitting their bullying nature.  And why do they want Taiwan?  Well, not for natural resources which have been used up and concreted over.  Possibly for some limited strategic value and the value of the island's human/manufacturing resources.  I suspect it's mostly about "face".

My question is this: how come we are prepared to be bullied by a totalitarian state with an appalling human rights record into not recognising a state which has been fully democratic since the late 1980s?  How come that we jump up and down about Tibet, but turn a blind eye to a small island whose streets China has vowed will run red with blood if it dares declare full independence?  I guess its because Tibet has charismatic holy men, spectacular scenery and a lovely colourful flag... 

The way I see it, is that the Taiwanese people have the right to choose their own destiny and other nations (particularly western democratic ones) should support this right.  NZ has a history of standing up to powerful nations (French nuclear testing, Japanese whaling, U.S nuclear powered ships...) and we should have the balls to do it again if we think it is the right thing to do.