The day after Kosovo officially declared independence, February 17th, 2008, The ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a press release expressing its congratulations. As of March 3, 28 countries around the World have recognized Kosovo, wether tacitly or explicitly. Taiwan was one of the first countries to recognize Kosovo as a sovereign nation.

In spite of the obstacles and difficulties in gaining independence, Kosovo finally declared independence peacefully, thereby winning the recognition of European countries and the United States. This has been an exceptionin the past practices of the international community. In order to gain recognition and support from the international community, Taiwan can take the Kosovo example and stress to the international community the following points;

All peoples enjoy the right to decide their own destiny, and have the right to self-determination, which is recognized by the United Nations. The UN international convenant on Civil Rights and Political Rights and Article I of the international convenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights state that, “All peoples have the right of self-determination.

By virture of that right, they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.” The decision for Kosovo to declare independence was based on the desire of its people to exercis self-determination. In the same way, Taiwan’s future should be decided by its 23 million citizens. History has proven that a country’s destiny must be decided by the people of that land. Other countries have no right to and, therefore, should not intervene or obstruct in their decision.

The peaceful pursuit of independence does not affect regional stability. Some countries, China in particular, emphasize that kosovo’s independence will impact regional stability negatively. As a matter of fact, this statement is quite  the paradox.

Due to racial and cultural factors, Kosovo suffered from widespread domestic turmoil. Although Kosovo

was allowed to become an autonomous province by the Serb government, it long ago stopped sharing Serbia’s hope for reintegration.  Had Kosovo’s independence been further postponed, it could have caused greater unrest and endanger the stability of the Balkan Peninsula.  Without a secure Kosovo, stability in the Balkan Peninsula would be impossible.  This is the major reason that Europe, the United States and other countries have recognized Kosovo.

By the same token, China still promotes the idea that Taiwan’s gaining recognition of sovereignty from the international community and joining international organizations will be detrimental to regional peace in East Asia.  This is pointless and misleading.  

The Republic of China (Taiwan), which has existed in the international community for 96 years, covers 36,000 square kilometers and serves as home to 23 million of people.  It has a directly elected government capable of engaging in diplomatic endeavors with other nations.

 Taiwan, being an independent country not subject to the jurisdiction of the people’s republic of China, is recognized by 23 countries and deserves the international community’s recognition of its right to join international organizations.  

The world needs to understand that China’s constant intimidation of Taiwan includes the deployment of thousands of missiles targeting our land.  This is the real main source of regional instability.  By taking Kosovo’s independence as an example, we can see that, if countries recognize the republic of China (Taiwan) and welcome it as part of the international community and a member of the United Nations, China will not make any rash moves that would endanger regional peace in East Asia.

Justice needs to be put back in the spotlight.”We admire the people of Kosovo for fearlessly pursing their ideal of peacefully attaining independence despite the countless obstacles down their path. The United States and major players in the European Union promptly future promptly recognized Kosovo, proving that justice and mankind’s future are more important than international strategic interests.  

This shows that the civilized world is progressing morally.  The republic of China (Taiwan) possesses solid democratic achievements and a high level of economic development.  Taiwan has the cappbility and desire to shoulder its responsibilities in the international community and realize its obligations abroad, yet still finds itself excluded from the international arena, which is in direct contradiction with international justice.  After looking at current cross-strait relations through the eyes of Kosovo, one can see that countries should not treat Taiwan using double standards and today China.