New book aims to influence views on Taiwan's history

This article was published by the Taiwan Headlines on April 18, 2006. It features the new book written by Yao Chia-wen, former political dissident and current president of the Examination Yuan. The book, titled "Records of Treaties Concerning Taiwan", introduces four treaties that influenced modern history of Taiwan. They are the Treaty of Shimonoseki, the Treaty of San Francisco, the Japanese Peace Treaty and the U.S.-Taiwan Mutual Defense Treaty.

According to Yao, the book aims to "set the historical record straight". Because Taiwan's history has constantly been twisted by political factors, Yao decided to announce the publication of his book on the anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki in Japan on April 17, 1895, in order to emphasize the importance of objective representation of history.

Taiwan was ceded to Japan in the Treaty of Shimonoseki. Meanwhile, the Treaty of San Francisco was signed by 48 countries in San Francisco on September 8, 1951, after the conclusion of the Second World War. Neither Taiwan or Chian were invited to that conference, hence neither signed that treaty. In general, the treaty stated that the world's countries and Japan should cooperate in friendly association to promote their common welfare and to maintain international peace and security.

Taiwan later signed a separate treaty with Japan on April 28, 1952, called the Japanese Peace Treaty. As a sub-treaty of the Treaty of San Francisco, the Japanese Peace Treaty aimed to ask Japan to recognize Taiwan as the only legal Chinese government in the world.

The U.S.-Taiwan Mutual Defense Treaty was signed on December 2, 1954 and committed the U.S. to helping defend Taiwan.