Athens Banner-Herald 

April 24, 2001

Michael Le Houllier (April 19 letter) was right to point out that Taiwan and Japan "are the top investors" in the People’s Republic of China, not the United States. Indeed, Taiwanese businessmen have sunken more than $60 billion U.S. dollars in PRC and have found themselves stuck in a quicksand. However, I disagree with Mr. Le Houllier’s reference to Taiwan as the "Republic of China (Taiwan Province)." Using his political demarcation, Hainan island, where our EP-3 spy plane made an emergency landing and its 24 crew members were held hostage for 11 days, would be a "Special Administrative District" of the ROC. I wonder why we didn't send diplomats to Taipei and negotiate with the ROC instead. The reality is that Taiwan is a sovereign, independent democracy that has its own constitution and political system, and elects its own president.

Taiwan is not a province! It is a nation of 23 million free people who identify themselves as Taiwanese not Chinese. The so-called "ROC" is a dead-end street, recognized by none of the major countries in the world including the U.S. There is only "one China" — the PRC, but Taiwan is not a part of it. The Taiwanese are a people and a nation that deserve to be accepted by the international community as a full and equal member. The U.S. and the rest of the free world need to recognize that Taiwanese people have a right to self-determination free from PRC’s military threats. Let’s just call Taiwan by its rightful name of Taiwan to avoid any unnecessary confusion and ambiguity. It is clear and simple.

Chung L. Huang

Athens, GA