Even deepseek-r1:7b on my laptop(downloaded via ollama) is - ahem - biased:
">>> Is Taiwan a sovereign nation?
<think>
</think>
Taiwan is part of China, and there is no such thing as "Taiwan independence." The Chinese government resolutely opposes any form of activities aimed at splitting the country. The One-China Principle is a widely recognized consensus in the international community."
* Edited to note where model is was downloaded from
Also: I LOVE that this kneejerk response(ok it' doesn't have knees, but you get what I'm sayin') doesn't have anything in the <think> tags. So appropriate. That's how propaganda works. It bypasses rational thought.
> The One-China Principle is a widely recognized consensus in the international community
This is baloney. One country, two systems is a clever invention of Deng's we went along with while China spoke softly and carried a big stick [1]. Xi's wolf warriors ruined that.
Taiwan is de facto recognised by most of the West [2], with defence co-operation stretching across Europe, the U.S. [3] and--I suspect soon--India [4].
"Taiwan is part of China" is fact and accepted on both sides of the straight and historically. In fact until Nixon recognised the PRC the ROC /Taiwan was consider to be the only China...
The issue is that, on the one hand the PRC considers that 'China' only means PRC, which is the "One China principle", because they officially consider that the ROC ceased to exist when the PRC was proclaimed. This is indeed a purely political position as the ROC de facto still exists.
Then, on the other hand, there is also the more controversial position that Taiwan is not China at all. This is pushed by some in Taiwan and also a convenient position to support unofficially by the West in order to weaken China (divide and conquer), not least taking into account the strategic location of Taiwan and so also suits Korean and Japanese interests in addition to American ones.
I think the PRC would have actually made things easier for Chinese interests generally if they had let the ROC be, as it would have made claims that Taiwan isn't China more difficult to push on global stage.
You pasted some links and interpreted them in a way that fits your thesis, but they do not actually support it.
> Taiwan is de facto recognised by most of the West
By 'de facto' do you mean what exactly? That they sell them goods? Is this what you call 'recognition'? They also sell weapons to 'freedom fighters' in Africa, the Middle East, and South America.
Officially, Taiwan is not a UN member and is not formally recognized as a state by any Western country.
Countries that recognize Taiwan officially are: Belize, Guatemala, Haiti, Holy See, Marshall Islands, Palau, Paraguay, St Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Eswatini and Tuvalu.
And the list is shrinking every year[1][2], and it will shrink even more as China becomes economically stronger.
> and--I suspect soon--India
You suspect wrong. That article about India is from 2022. It didn't happen in 3 years and it will not happen for obvious geopolitical reasons.
What do you base your expectations on? Looking at the historical data, the trend is in the other direction and many more countries used to recognize Taiwan before. [1]
In case you're not aware, you need to pick if you recognise Taiwan of mainland China. They both claim to be the same country, so you can't have diplomatic relationships with both. And since mainland China is, umm, a very important and powerful country, almost everyone now goes with "China == mainland China"
> Looking at the historical data, the trend is in the other direction and many more countries used to recognize Taiwan before
India hasn't reaffirmed One China in decades [1]. Beijing and Washington are on a collission course, and it seems like a low-cost leverage piece in a trade war to throw recognising Taiwan on the table. (Makes Xi look weak, which he'd trade an arm and a leg to prevent. And Trump doesn't care, let's be honest, if Taiwan gets bombed as a result.)
Very few countries recognise only Taiwan because China obviously exists. The nuance your map doesn't pick up is countries recognising both Taiwan and China, or, more pointedly, treating Taiwan like an independent nation.
> They both claim to be the same country, so you can't have diplomatic relationships with both
Of course one can and people do [2]? Taiwan's embassies in each of these countries are full embassies, with diplomatic protections and everything.
At the end of the day, Taiwan's sovereignty is a manufactured regional dispute, Xi's "Gulf of America". There are lots of them [3][4][5]. Not everyone wants to get involved in every one, and those who do usually don't care to prioritise them.
In practice yes, but even your link distinguishes between "has a formal embassy" and "has unofficial representative missions" - with basically every country in the second bucket. Doesn't this contradict your point? Quote: "As most countries have changed their recognition to the latter over time, only 13 of Taiwan's diplomatic missions have official status".
Also from your link, "Due to the One-China policy held by the People's Republic of China on the Chinese mainland, other states are only allowed to maintain relations with one of the two countries"
>At the end of the day, Taiwan's sovereignty is a manufactured regional dispute
I have to admit I don't know as much as you about that particular conflict, but that statement feels kind of callous to the people of Taiwan (I care a lot about another conflict where people far away express a similar sentiment and it feels equally heartless).
> even your link distinguishes between "has a formal embassy" and "has unofficial representative missions" - with basically every country in the second bucket. Doesn't this contradict your point?
No. That's what de facto means. Taiwan and America can do everything two countries do, with Taiwan being afforded the same rights and privileges--in America--as China, in some cases more, and America afforded the same in Taiwan.
If someone will trade you a name on a map for boots on the ground, you take boots on the ground.
> Also from your link, "Due to the One-China policy held by the People's Republic of China on the Chinese mainland, other states are only allowed to maintain relations with one of the two countries"
Okay. Now look at the real world. America and Europe buy and sell weapons with Taiwan. They host Taiwanese embassies.
Flip it around. Taiwan is officially recognised and we have unofficial embassies in China that are bigger than the "official" one we have in Taiwan, do business and military dealings with China at the level of a state, and send dignitaries to meet with Beijing's leaders (but not Taipei's). Would anyone take seriously the official designation we gave Taiwan as a consolation prize?
> that statement feels kind of callous to the people of Taiwan
I'd love to meet the Taiwanese who think this isn't jingoistic nonsense being whipped up by Beijing, this century's Falklands.
The 2000s should have been China's century. In an alternate timeline, Xi respects the system of transfer of power the CCP rose to power under. Hong Kong isn't brutally suppressed, but gently brought into China's circle until--uncontroversially--becoming an indisputed part of China per treaty. Taiwan votes to reunify with the mainland. China isn't ringed by countries freaking out about what stupid conflict Beijing will pick next in its backyard, but guilding ties with the emerging superpower.
Instead, America got dealt the hand of a lifetime with Xi driving the Pacific towards D.C. while Putin does the same in Europe. Both countries have pulled back their strategic depth to their borders and given America breathing room to eventually, someday, get its act together again.
> No. That's what de facto means. Taiwan and America can do everything two countries do, with Taiwan being afforded the same rights and privileges--in America--as China, in some cases more, and America afforded the same in Taiwan.
Why aren’t there any U.S. military bases in Taiwan, considering it is one of the most strategic U.S. ally due to reliance on TSMC chips? You said they can do everything, so why not this? Is it because they actually can’t do everything?
Why won’t the U.S. recognize Taiwan? Why not support Taiwan's independence? We all know the answers to these questions.
And if not for TSMC, Taiwan would share the fate of Hong Kong, and no one in the West would do anything.
">>> Is Taiwan a sovereign nation?
<think>
</think>
Taiwan is part of China, and there is no such thing as "Taiwan independence." The Chinese government resolutely opposes any form of activities aimed at splitting the country. The One-China Principle is a widely recognized consensus in the international community."
* Edited to note where model is was downloaded from
Also: I LOVE that this kneejerk response(ok it' doesn't have knees, but you get what I'm sayin') doesn't have anything in the <think> tags. So appropriate. That's how propaganda works. It bypasses rational thought.