Republic of China on Taiwan () is a political term as well as discourse regarding the present status of the Republic of China. It was proposed in 1995 by then-president Lee Teng-hui, the first locally-born president (i.e., the first to have been born on Taiwan). During his presidential tenure, Lee visited his alma mater Cornell University and mentioned this term for the first time when delivering an Olin Lecture.民國84年李登輝總統於康乃爾大學歐林講座發表演講 , National Central Library Text of Lee's Cornell address , TAIWAN INFO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 1995-6-16國家定位 李前總統︰ROC在台灣, TVBS, 2003-12/-21
The term is one of several regarding the Republic of China, and is not exactly about Taiwanese independence. The term was later included in the Four-Stage Theory of the Republic of China as the third stage from 1988 to 2000 by President Lee's successor Chen Shui-bian.Chen says name variance is simply an expedient, Taipei Times, 2005-08-03Chen urges unity to deal with China, Taipei Times, 2005-08-3 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.Chiang F. Political Status of the ROC in Taiwan. The One-China Policy: State, Sovereignty, and Taiwan's International Legal Status. 2018;131-178. doi:10.1016/B978-0-08-102314-3.00005-7
Background 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.國家定位 李前總統︰ROC在台灣, TVBS, 2003-12-21
In regards to the origin of the term, Lee explained in 2005 during a lecture in that, following World War II, Chiang Kai-shek's forces temporarily occupied the island of Taiwan under the direction of Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers Douglas MacArthur. Because both the Treaty of San Francisco and the Treaty of Taipei concluded afterwards did not explicitly specify to whom Japan renounced the sovereignty of Taiwan, the legal status of Taiwan has become undetermined, which is why he coined the term "Republic of China on Taiwan".
See also Elections in Taiwan Four Noes and One Without Four-Stage Theory of the Republic of China History of Taiwan (1945–present) Political status of Taiwan Politics of the Republic of China President of the Republic of China Second Republic of China (Taiwan) Taiwanese nationalism
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