Republic of China on Taiwan (Chinese:中華民國在臺灣;pinyin:Zhōnghuá Mínguó zài Táiwān) is a political term as well as discourse regarding the present status of theRepublic of China. It is proposed by formerPresident of the Republic of ChinaLee Teng-hui, the firstlocally-born president (i.e., the first to have been bornon Taiwan). During his presidential tenure in 1995, Lee visited his alma materCornell University and mentioned this term for the first time when delivering an Olin Lecture.[1][2][3][4]
The term is one of several regarding the Republic of China, and is not exactly aboutTaiwanese independence. The term was later included in theFour-Stage Theory of the Republic of China as the third stage from 1988 to 2000 by President Lee's successorChen Shui-bian.[5][6][7] During Chen's administration, the phrase was used in an initial application for UN membership in 2000, but the term was replaced with other expressions in 2002 and 2006 applications and has not been used since.[8]
Before Lee Teng-hui coined the term, the officials of the Republic of China had always used the state's official name "Republic of China". Therefore, the term was regarded as a breakthrough.[3][9]
In regards to the origin of the term, Lee explained in 2005 during a lecture inLee Teng-Hui Institute [zh] that, followingWorld War II,Chiang Kai-shek's forcestemporarily occupied theisland of Taiwan under the direction ofSupreme Commander for the Allied PowersDouglas MacArthur, and because both theTreaty of San Francisco and theTreaty of Taipei concluded afterwards did not explicitly specify to whom Japan renounced the sovereignty of Taiwan, the legal status of Taiwanhas become undetermined, and that's why he coined the term "Republic of China on Taiwan".[10]
