Hello everyone, this is Klaus.
In our last video, we talked about the history of sovereignty over Taiwan,
and the reality that Taiwan nows belongs to the Republic of China.
But some folks still questioned our logic, and voiced their support for the People’s Republic of China.
The name is a bit long, so we will condense it,
and simply say "Communist China".
Some people say that Communist China's legitimacy is recognized by the United Nations,
and that of the Republic of China isn't.
We need to discuss the legitimacy issue of the Chinese Communist Party
and talk about the One-China principle.
I believe many people are no stranger to the term "legitimacy".
We hear the term very often in analyses of current affairs on YouTube.
I am going to go out on a limb and say that
few of them truly understand what a government’s legitimacy is.
In addition, many mainlanders have misunderstood the One-China principle.
I am not exaggerating. I just want to have your attention.
I hope you enjoy this video.
Since ancient times,
the Chinese have been most particular about, of course, tradition.
Traditionally, the legitimacy of the government has always been inherited.
To be emperor, you'd have to be the eldest son of the royal family.
A low-born son or second son would have no right to inherit the throne.
Their legitimacy would be challenged.
Throughout history, many such illegitimate emperors have been overthrown.
Both Qin and Sui perished after two generations of emperors.
Both Qin II Hu Hai and Sui Yang Emperor Yang Guang were second sons.
They killed their brothers to get the thrones.
They never had legitimacy to begin with.
The inheritance system also worked when dynasties changed.
With the approval of a former emperor,
a new dynasty gained legitimacy through a declaration of abdication by the former emperor.
The abdication edict is the official document for the transfer of state power.
There were also many ritual ceremonies involved.
This has happened many times in history.
In 220 AD, the Eastern Han Dynasty Emperor Liu Xie announced his abdication,
and gave the throne to Wei King Cao Pi.
If a former emperor wouldn't give in,
then the new emperor would try to obtain the former dynasty's jade seal by force.
The jade seal was a symbol of the previous dynasty's power.
Whoever obtained the jade seal would earn the right to rule.
The legitimacy of a government in Western democracies comes from referendums.
The legitimacy of a regime is determined through democratic voting.
Thus, neither by Chinese tradition nor by the standards of Western democracy
does the CCP have legitimacy.
The communists certainly did not take power peacefully.
In fact, the CCP and the Republic of China have not yet signed a truce.
In other words, the two are still in a state of war.
They don't even need to a declaration of war to start fighting again.
Thus, the Republic of China never gave in.
On the other hand, the Jade Seal of the Republic of China is in Taiwan.
The CCP failed to obtain it by force.
By the standards of Western democracy,
no communist government official was ever elected through public voting.
In recent years,
some villages have started to vote, but the village committee is not a government.
The government starts at the town level, so villagers don't have a say in their town government’s affairs.
On the contrary, the Republic of China is a legitimate government.
The Republic of China rightfully inherited power from the Qing government
as per the abdication edict of the last emperor Pu Yi.
Besides, Taiwan's current government is created through referendum.
The current Tsai Ing-wen government has reached the highest number of votes in history,
setting a record in the history of Taiwan.
So, no matter how you look at it, the Chinese Communist Party has no legitimacy.
Instead, the Republic of China has legitimacy.
But here's another question, "Communist China is recognized by the UN.
So how come it has no legitimacy?"
First of all, legitimacy and diplomatic recognition are two different things.
For instance, an underworld gang can also be recognized.
Legitimacy is a matter of identity, while diplomatic recognition is an external factor.
For example, if you want to prove that you are a good person,
then you need to prove that you have excellent qualities of a good person
instead of using recognition from your friends as evidence.
The UN and many countries in the world recognize Communist China for pragmatic reasons.
Let me explain.
A thug abducts someone else's wife.
They have lived together for many years and have had children.
They fit the definition of a defacto marriage.
But a defacto marriage does not equal a legitimate marriage.
The woman is a defacto wife of the thug, but she is actually someone else’s wife,
because the marriage certificate is held by her true husband.
The neighbors are only forced to recognize the thug for practical reasons.
After all, the thug has slept with the woman for so many years and have had children.
To this day, the thug still has actual control over the woman.
We have no choice but to admit that she is the thug’s wife.
But this doesn’t change the fact that the thug has no right to own this woman.
Like I said, very few political analysts on YouTube truly understand the legitimacy issue of the CCP.
I have heard many influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers say,
"If something bad happens in China,
the legitimacy of the Chinese Communist Party will be affected."
Many people say that the legitimacy of the CCP comes from enabling the Chinese to make money,
and that if the economy collapses,
the legitimacy of the Chinese Communist Party will be affected.
These people have got "legitimacy" mixed up with "basis for governance".
Whether a regime treats the people well affects its basis for governance.
If the thug is kind to that woman, the woman will sleep with him willingly,
so that the thug's control and use of her will be guaranteed.
If he doesn’t treat her well and falls asleep or gets drunk one day,
he will be on the news the next day.
Therefore, the legitimacy of the CCP is not affected at all,
because the CCP doesn’t have legitimacy at all.
For instance, if I post on social media,
"It was such bad luck that I lost my new Lamborghini today."
you would know that I'm just joking
because you know I can’t afford a Lamborghini, let alone lose a Lamborghini.
The CCP has no legitimacy, but it has taken 1.4 billion people hostage.
So it has received diplomatic recognition from many countries and international organizations.
This also involves the One-China principle.
The One-China principle is one of the most sensitive topics in the international community.
Let's reveal the truth today.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs demands that the One-China principle be respected every day.
But what is it really?
Mainlanders’ understanding of the One-China principle is,
there is only one China in this world, which is Communist China.
All countries and international organizations in the world recognize Communist China as the only China.
Anyone who says otherwise is "interfering with China's internal affairs and trying to split China".
The naysayers are anti-China, anti-communist, and "hurting the feelings of all Chinese people".
Of course, that is how the Chinese Communist Party educates and brainwashes the Chinese people.
The One-China policy is actually about making a choice between two options.
Every country in the world can choose between the Republic of China and Communist China.
You can only choose one to establish diplomatic relations with.
It is not what Chinese mainlanders think. It doesn't mean "only Communist China is China".
The logical premise of choice is that there are at least two or more options.
If there is only one option, then there won't be much of a choice, is there?
In other words, the One-China principle is based on the recognition of the existence of two Chinas.
You are only allowed to choose one of them,
because in fact the Republic of China and Communist China have never signed a truce.
Technically, the two countries are still at war.
Both claim to have sovereignty over the entire territory of China.
A similar territorial dispute exists between North Korea and South Korea.
North Korea and South Korea also used to be one country, which was divided after World War II.
We don't see anything wrong with that. Why is that?
The most practical reason is that we are not North Koreans.
As Communist China grows stronger,
as Communist China uses its political power and economical sanctions
to coerce others countries into cutting diplomatic ties with the Republic of China,
there are now only 15 countries having diplomatic relations with the Republic of China.
Just because the UN doesn't recognize the ROC doesn't mean the UN denies it.
After all, the Republic of China was one of the founding and permanent members of the UN.
The 15 countries that have diplomatic relations with the Republic of China are also members of the UN.
Little Pinks and Wumao say every day that Taiwan sucks,
and that Communist China’s GDP is the second largest in the world.
But do these things have anything to do with you?
Let's talk about practicality, shall we?
During the epidemic, other countries give money to help their people.
How much did the communists give to you?
Even though the Republic of China doesn’t have as many allies as Communist China does,
a passport of the Republic of China is definitely better,
with which you could travel visa-free to over 140 countries worldwide.
With such a passport, travelling, immigration, and studying abroad would be convenient.
But a Communist China's passport is nothing like it is in the movie Wolf Warrior.
We are just ordinary people.
Only practical things are meaningful to us.
Please visit our channel to improve your independent thinking skills.
If you understand one thing, you will be able to see the big picture.
"An unexamined life is not worth living."
A muddle-headed person can't achieve anything at work, in his studies, or in life.
Okay, that's it for this video.
This is Klaus. See you next time.