Scott Morrison speaks during the Yushan Forum in Taiwan (Image: AAP/Annabelle Chih)
In diplomatic circles, Taiwan — or the Republic of China (ROC), as it is officially known — is something of a four-letter word. It’s certainly been well away from the lips of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong wherever possible.
But in recent weeks, former prime minister Scott Morrison’s deeply inconvenient trip to Taiwan — which many see as the most likely place for any conflict in the region with the People’s Republic of China (PRC), which considers Taiwan an errant province — brought an unwanted spotlight back on the island. Morrison, in some sort of bid for relevance, or at least proof of his trouble-making ability, raised the issue that dares not speak its name: “a modernised One China framework”.
Morrison’s meddling
The One China concept has effectively allowed the PRC, by granting diplomatic relations to nations as it emerged from its isolation from the 1970s, to deprive ROC Taiwan of diplomatic recognition, except by a dwindling handful of tiny nations, including the Vatican. Effectively “One“ China must be recognised if one wants to trade with the PRC.
