Explanation of the "Formosa & the Pescadores T.U.A.O. Passport Sticker"

中國文 (繁體)日本語

Hello! Welcome!

  First, thank you very much for coming here to explore information about Taiwan!

  To make the world notice important truths about Taiwan, we really need friends of great curiosity and desire for knowledge like you. So, please allow us to express our sincere gratitude to you!

  We believe that a very special passport led you here:

  You know that the passport holder comes from a place called "Taiwan" (also called "Republic of China" or "Republic of China Taiwan". However, on the passport, there is a sticker says "台灣澎湖.盟軍佔領區|Formosa & the Pescadores Territories Under WWII Allied Occupation", a circular sticker having four red vertical lines against white background, a sticker says "TAIWAN GOVERNING AUTHORITIES", and that very QR Code sticker with English word "EXPLANATION" underneath, which brought you here.

  What is the original shape of this passport? What do these stickers mean? Why would the passport holder decide to use these stickers?

  Let's find out the answers to these questions in the following sections!


※ The Original Passport ※

  Before applying these stickers, the original front cover of this passport would be in one of the following layouts. Old version was used before January 1st, 2021, the new one became standard since that day.

Old Version
New Version

  As you can see, in both versions, there are four Chinese characters "中華民國" (A) and the national emblem of the Republic of China (B). In old version, the English translation of "中華民國", i.e. the REPUBLIC OF CHINA (C), is clearly printed, while in the new version, the English translation of "中華民國" is put in a loop surrounding the national emblem of the Republic of China (D).

  In both versions, the English translation of 台灣, i.e. TAIWAN, is printed, however its font size in the new version (F) is much larger than in the old version (E).

  Then, what is wrong in these original layouts of the passport? Why would the passport holder try to cover its texts and images with stickers?

  That is because the original design of the passport contains at least the following problems:

  1. The Chinese term "Republic of China" points to a political entity that belongs to China in history, reality and international law, i.e. the "Republic of China regime". Having the Chinese term "中華民國" on the front cover of passport may make people incorrectly consider that the passport holder, who actually comes from "Taiwan", comes from China, or "Taiwan" is part of China, which is not true. Because the passport holder comes from "Taiwan" and "Taiwan" is not part of China.
  2. The English term "REPUBLIC OF CHINA" points to a political entity that belongs to China in history, reality and international law, i.e. the "Republic of China regime". Having the English term REPUBLIC OF CHINA on the front cover of passport may make people incorrectly consider that the passport holder, who actually comes from "Taiwan", comes from China, or "Taiwan" is part of China, which is not true. Because the passport holder comes from "Taiwan" and "Taiwan" is not part of China.
  3. The circular the symbol with twelve pointy rays points to a political entity that belongs to China in history, reality and international law, i.e. the "Republic of China regime". Having an emblem representing such regime may make people incorrectly consider that the passport holder, who actually comes from "Taiwan", comes from China, or "Taiwan" is part of China, which is not true. Because the passport holder comes from "Taiwan" and "Taiwan" is not part of China.
  4. The English term TAIWAN in the lower part of the passport front cover was added in 2003 during the revision of the passport to prevent the passport holder from being regarded as "from China". However, since on the front cover of the revisioned passport, there are still elements related to the political entity that belongs to China in history, reality and international law, i.e. the "Republic of China regime", such revision ironically enhanced the misunderstanding of "'Taiwan' is part of China" and it is still possible for the passport holder to be regared as "from China" which is not true. Becasue the passport holder comes from "Taiwan" and "Taiwan" is not part of China.
  5. In the new version, because the REPUBLIC OF CHINA originally under the Chinese term "中華民國" was shrunk and put in the decorative loop surrounding the national emblem of the Republic of China, TAIWAN becomes the only apparent English element left in the layout. At first glance, such layout may not cause problem, however, since the Chinese term 中華民國 and the English term TAIWAN now become most obvious text elements on the front cover, it may lead people to incorrectly believe that the English translation of the Chinese term 中華民國 is TAIWAN. This misunderstanding should be avioded. Because the English translation of the Chinese term "中華民國" is the REPUBLIC OF CHINA, and while the political entity pointed by this Chinese term does belong to China, "Taiwan" is not part of China. Hence, it is unacceptable for "Taiwan" to be wrongly considered as the English translation of hte Chinese term "中華民國".
  6. In terms of historical facts and international law, the entity currently governs "Taiwan" is not the government of a sovereign state holding territorial sovereignty to Taiwan (aka Formsa) & Penghu (aka the Pescadores)("F&P"), but the "governing authorities on Taiwan" that administers "F&P" in accordance with the mandate and on behalf of the whole WWII Allied members. In other words, the "F&P" now referred to by the term Taiwan" are actually territories occupied by the whole WWII Allied members. However, the current passport front cover not only fails to faithfully reflect such important fact, but also misleads people to incorrectly believe that F&P are Chinese territories controlled by a Chinese political entity, i.e. the "Republic of China" regime. This would certainly cause problems to "Taiwan" and "the People of Taiwan".

  Due to the issues mentioned above, the passport front cover designs and elements of both old and new versions not only fail to precisely reflect the important facts in history, reality and international law that "'Taiwan (including Penghu)' is not part of China", "the entity issuing this passport is the 'governing authorties on Taiwan' that currently administers 'Taiwan' and it does not own the territorial sovereignty to 'F&P'", but also lead to a misconception that the "Republic of China = Taiwan". Accordingly, we believe that the mistakes in the passport layout should be corrected and the information reflecting the actual legal status of "Taiwan" should be provided with the help of stickers.


※ The true situation of Taiwan ※

  What would come to mind when you hear the term "Taiwan"? Besides delicious food and semiconductors, its worrisome relation with "China" may be the answer. Besides "China regards 'Taiwan (including Penghu)' as a breakaway/rebellious province", you may also think that "China constantly plunders the diplomatic ties of 'Taiwan'", "'Taiwan' faces severe suppression from China in the international community", etc.

  As for why there is such tension between "Taiwan" and "China", your information sources may mention that "Taiwan (including Penghu)" was "restored" to Republic of China (or Chinese Kuomintang (國民黨)Chiang Kai-Shek of China) after the defeated Japan surrendered in 1945, then the Republic of China / Chinese Kuomintang (國民黨)Chiang Kai-Shek of China retreated to "Taiwan (including Penghu)" due to its lost in the China civil war, and continued its competition for the status of legitimate government of China with the People's Republic of China established in 1949, and "Taiwan" left UN in 1971 because the "Resolution No. 2758" of the UN Assembly and constantly faces suppression and military threat from China. Furthermore, "Taiwan (including Penghu)" wants to leave China for independence and China aims to reunify "Taiwan (including Penghu)", etc.

  However, these descriptions about "Taiwan" are not entirely correct. Have you ever wondered: "If 'Taiwan (including Penghu)' is a place controlled by the Republic of China (or Chinese Kuomintang (國民黨)Chiang Kai-Shek of China), then how did the Republic of China become "Taiwan"? That's right. The biggest problem caused by those information describing the "ChinaTaiwan relations" derives from confusing the "Republic of China" which takes the role of "governing authorities on Taiwan" with the place it controls, i.e. "Taiwan (including Penghu)", and incorrectly put an equal sign between them.

  So, what is the actual situation here? Let's draw a timeline together:

  • 1895.04.17.Empire of Qing (the sovereign state China), the losing party in the First Sino-Japanese War, signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki with the Empire of Japan. In this treaty, China agreed to cede Formosa & the Pescadores ("F&P") to Japan.
  • 1895.05.08.The Treaty of Shimonoseki entered into force, "F&P" became territories to which Japan had territorial sovereignty. Japan soon initiated her colonial rule over "F&P" and gave local inhabitants who were subjects of the Empire of Qing two years to choose between "leaving 'F&P' for China" and "staying in 'F&P' and becoming subjects of the Empire of Japan".
  • 1897.05.08.According to Article 5 of the Treaty of Shimonoseki, subjects of the Empire of Qing who still lived in "F&P" upon the second anniversary of the Treaty would acquire the nationality of Japan and become subjects of the Empire of Japan. Hence, all inhabitants of "F&P" became nationals of Japan since this day.
  • 1912.02.12.The Emperor of Qing announced the Decree of Abdication to change the state system of China from monarchy to republic, change the state name from Empire of Qing to the Republic of China, and appoint Yuan Shi-Kai (袁世凱) to establish a new government to replace the Empire Government of Qing, the Republic of China "regime" (not a new sovereign state) was established on that day.
  • 1939.09.01.Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland led to the outbreak of WWII. Later, Japan, Italy and Germany established a military alliance, i.e., the "Axis powers".
  • 1941.12.07.After the Empire of Japan attacked the Peral Harbor of the United States of America, the US declared war on Japan. The Republic of China declared war on Japan on the next day.
  • 1942.01.01.23 countries, including the US, UK and the Republic of China, signed the Declaration by United Nations to establish a military alliance, i.e. the "Allied powers"。
  • 1943.12.01.The US, UK and the Republic of China announced the Cairo Communique (a.k.a. Cairo Declaration), which stated that it is the intention of related states that after Japan's unconditional surrender, Korea shall become free &independent, and Japan shall restore "F&P" to the Republic of China.
  • 1945.07.26.The US, UK and the Republic of China announced the Potsdam Proclamation, which listed the conditions Japan must accept upon her unconditional surrender and the terms mentioned in the Cairo Declaration shall be carried out.
  • 1945.08.15.The Emperor of the Empire of Japan announced Japan's unconditional surrender to the Allied powers by broadcast.
  • 1945.09.02.The Empire Government of Japan signed the armistice Instrument of Surrender on the US battleship USS Missouri (BB-63) anchored in Tokyo Bay and formally surrendered to the Allied powers. The General Headquarters of Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (GHQ SCAP) was established on that day and started the Allies' military occupation of the Japan proper.
  • 1945.09.02.The GHQ SCAP instructed the Empire of Japan to announce its General Order No. 1. In this Order, the commander responsible for the Allies' "China Theater", i.e., the Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek of the Republic of China, was instructed to receive surrender of Japanese forces in China (excluding Manchuria), Formosa and French Indo-China north of 16 north latitude on behalf of the Allied powers.
  • 1945.10.25.Chen Yi (陳儀), the representative for receiving surrender designated by Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek of the Republic of China, held a ceremony of surrender on then Japanese soil "F&P" to accept the surrender of local Japanese forces and initiated the military occupation of "F&P" on behalf of the Allied powers. However, Chen Yi violated the "Principle of Occupation Does Not Constitute Transfer of Sovereignty (佔領不移轉主權原則)" in international law of war, publicly claimed that the territorial sovereignty of "F&P" has been transferred to the Republic of China due to "Taiwan Retrocession".
  • 1946.01.12.The Republic of China announced an administrative order to "restore" the Republic of China nationality of all inhabitants of "F&P" having Japanese nationality. However, because the territorial sovereignty of "F&P" was not yet transferred to the Republic of China, according to international law, the Republic of China could not initiate massive naturalization of the inhabitants. Both the US and UK expressed their objections to such illegal move.
  • 1949.10.01.The Chinese Communist Party, which took the leading position in the China civil war started after the end of WWII, established a new regime called the "People's Republic of China government " in Beijing, and claimed that the "Republic of China government" controlled by Chinese Nationalist Party (i.e. Kuomintang) had ceased to exist and had its position replaced by the "People's Republic of China government". However, the regime called "Republic of China government" did not cease to exist and was even recognized as the only legitimate government of China by most sovereign states at that time.
  • 1949.12.07.The Republic of China regime, the losing party in the China civil war, fled to "F&P" where it occupied for the whole Allied members since 1945, left the territories owned by China and became a regime-in-exile.
  • 1950.06.27.Two days after the outbreak of Korean War, to prevent the People's Republic of China regime from chasing the Republic of China regime fleeing to "F&P", the US President Harry S. Truman made a statement regarding the "neutralization of the Straits of Formosa" which stated that "The determination of the future status of Formosa (including the Pescadores) must await the restoration of security in the Pacific, a peace settlement with Japan, or consideration by the United Nations."
  • 1951.09.08.48 Allied members and Japan signed the Treaty of San Francisco in the City of San Francisco, USA. In Article 2(b), Japan agreed to renounce her right, title, and claim to "F&P", i.e., to completely renounce her territorial sovereignty to "F&P". However, the future owner of the territorial sovereignty of "F&P" was not determined in the said Treaty.
  • 1952.04.17.The Government of Japan announced Notice of Civil Affairs - A - No. 438 (民事甲438號通達), which stated that the Japanese nationality held by the inhabitants of "F&P" would be nullified when the Treaty of San Francisco becomes effective.
  • 1952.04.28.The Treaty of San Francisco entered into force, the state of war between Japan and the signatories that ratified the said Treaty ceased to exist, the Allied occupation of Japan proper since September 2, 1945 was also terminated as a result. According to the provisions of the Treaty, "F&P" are no longer Japanese sovereign territories. However, since the Treaty provisions did not designate the future owner of the territorial sovereignty of "F&P", hence the owner of the territorial sovereignty of "F&P" became legally "undetermined". This prevented the settlement of the post-war final disposition of "F&P". Because the Allies' military occupation of "F&P" originally aimed to maintain societal and economic stability of the said regions pending their post-war final disposition, since the final disposition of them were not settled by the Treaty of San Francisco, the Allies' occupation of "F&P" must continue, and the Republic of China regime remained responsible for the performance of this task.
  • 1952.04.28.By recognizing the Republic of China regime that fled to "F&P" as the legitimate government of China, the Government of Japan signed the Treaty of Peace between Japan and the Republic of China (aka Treaty of Taipei) with Republic of China regime. In this Treaty, both parties recognized that Japan had renounced her right, title, and claim to "F&P" in accordance with the Treaty of San Francisco. Both parties also agreed that the nationals of the "Republic of China shall be deemed to include the inhabitants of "F&P".
  • 1952.08.05.The Treaty of Peace between Japan and the Republic of China entered into force. The state of war between Japan and China formally ceased to exist. The original inhabitants of "F&P" were started to "be deemed as" the nationals of the Republic of China by the Government of Japan.
  • 1954.12.02.By recognizing the Republic of China regime that fled to "F&P" as the legitimate government of China, the US Government signed the Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States of America and the Republic of China with the Republic of China regime to defend each other. In this Treaty, the territories of the Republic of China were limited to "Taiwan (Formosa) & Penghu (the Pescadores)", the regions with undetermined territorial sovereignty, while Chinese sovereign territories still under the effective control of the Republic of China regime were excluded.
  • 1955.03.03.The Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States of America and the Republic of China entered into force. It is worthy of mentioning that when the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations ratified the Treaty, it made a clear statement that "Senate approval of the Treaty would neither strengthen nor weaken the Chiang Government's [sic] claim to sovereignty over Formosa, the international status of which is yet to be decided."
  • 1971.10.25.The UN Assembly passed the Resolution No. 2758, changed the representative of the member state China in UN from representative sent by the Republic of China regime to that sent by the People's Republic of China regime. Accordingly, the Republic of China regime lost the capacity to attend the UN on behalf of the UN member state China. While some news media may describe this as "Taiwan left the UN", this description is incorrect. Because what happened was that "the Republic of China regime which administers 'Taiwan (including Penghu)' on behalf of the Allied powers lost the capacity to represent the UN member state China in the UN", and this has nothing to do with "Taiwan (including Penghu)".
  • 1972.09.29.The Government of Japan and the People's Republic of China regime signed the Joint Communiqué of the Government of Japan and the Government of the People's Republic of China. In this Communiqué, Japan recognized that the People's Republic of China regime is the only legitimate government of China and started to maintain her diplomatic relation with China through the said regime. Since Japan no longer recognized the Republic of China regime as the legitimate government of China, the Treaty of Peace between Japan and the Republic of China signed in 1952 became inexecutable and "effectively invalid". Consequently, Japan stopped regarding the inhabitants of "F&P" as the nationals of the Republic of China.
  • 1979.01.01.The US and the People's Republic of China regime jointly announced the Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations. In this Communiqué, the US recognized the People's Republic of China regime as the only legitimate government of China and started to maintain her diplomatic relation with China through the said regime.
  • 1979.04.10.The US stipulated the Taiwan Relations Act. In Article 15, the geographic region of "Taiwan" is limited to "F&P", the regions with undetermined territorial sovereignty. The entity governs "F&P" is referred to as "the governing authorities on Taiwan (Taiwan governing authorities)" which may be referred to simply as "Taiwan". The governing authorities on Taiwan (Taiwan governing authorities) refers to the Republic of China regime since the Taiwan Relations Act became law.
  • 1982.08.17.The US and the People's Republic of China regime jointly announced the US–PRC Joint Communiqué, August 17, 1982. In this Communiqué, the US recognized the People's Republic of China regime is the only legitimate government of China and "acknowledged" the "position" of the People's Republic of China that "'Taiwan (including Penghu)' is part of China".
  • 1996.03.23.The Republic of China regime governing "F&P" held its 1st direct Presidential election in accordance with the provision of the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China promulgated in 1994. The candidate Lee Teng-Hui (李登輝) of Kuomintang (a political party that claims "Taiwan is part of China, will counterattack the mainland to reunite China") was elected by "the people of the free area of the Republic of China" as the 9th President of the Republic of China.
  • 2000.03.18.The Republic of China regime governing "F&P" held its 2nd direct Presidential election in accordance with the provision of the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China promulgated in 1997. The candidate Chen Shui-Bian (陳水扁) of DPP (a political party widely believed as pro-independence) was elected by "the people of the free area of the Republic of China" as the 10th President of the Republic of China.
  • 2004.03.20.The Republic of China regime governing "F&P" held its 3rd direct Presidential election in accordance with the provision of the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China promulgated in 2000. The candidate Chen Shui-Bian (陳水扁) of DPP (a political party widely believed as pro-independence) was elected by "the people of the free area of the Republic of China" as the 11th President of the Republic of China.
  • 2008.03.22.The Republic of China regime governing "F&P" held its 4th direct Presidential election in accordance with the provision of the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China promulgated in 2005. The candidate Ma Ying-Jeou (馬英九) of Kuomintang (a political party that claims "Taiwan is part of China, will counterattack the mainland to reunite China") was elected by "the people of the free area of the Republic of China" as the 12th President of the Republic of China.
  • 2012.01.14.The Republic of China regime governing "F&P" held its 5th direct Presidential election in accordance with the provision of the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China promulgated in 2005. The candidate Ma Ying-Jeou (馬英九) of Kuomintang (a political party that claims "Taiwan is part of China, will counterattack the mainland to reunite China") was elected by "the people of the free area of the Republic of China" as the 13th President of the Republic of China.
  • 2016.01.16.The Republic of China regime governing "F&P" held its 6th direct Presidential election in accordance with the provision of the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China promulgated in 2005. The candidate Tsai Ing-Wen (蔡英文) of DPP (a political party widely believed as pro-independence) was elected by "the people of the free area of the Republic of China" as the 14th President of the Republic of China.
  • 2020.01.11.The Republic of China regime governing "F&P" held its 7th direct Presidential election in accordance with the provision of the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China promulgated in 2005. The candidate Tsai Ing-Wen (蔡英文) of DPP (a political party widely believed as pro-independence) was elected by "the people of the free area of the Republic of China" as the 15th President of the Republic of China.

  We can summarize the above timeline into the following points:

  • Since 1895.05.08, "F&P" became a colony of Japan. The inhabitants of "F&P" became the original inhabitants of a Japanese colony, and the inhabitants of "F&P" acquired nationality of Japan since 1897.05.08, became nationals of Japan.
  • The sovereign state represented by the Republic of China regime is China, the sovereign state it aims to represent was one of the WWII Allied members and was at war with Japan (the sovereign state that possessed the territorial sovereignty of "F&P" until 1952.04.28). The Republic of China could govern "F&P" not because it owns the territorial sovereignty to "F&P" but because by the General Order No. 1 of September 2nd, 1945, it was instructed to receive the surrender of Japanese forces in "F&P" on behalf of the whole Allied powers. Furthermore, it is responsible for governing "F&P" on behalf of all Allied members pending its post-war final disposition.
  • The Republic of China regime abused this opportunity and falsely claimed that "F&P" has become part of China because of "'Taiwan' Retrocession", which violated the "Principle of Occupation Does Not Constitute Transfer of Sovereignty" in international law. The Republic of China could not acquire the territorial sovereignty of "F&P" through this unilateral false claim.
  • The Republic of China, without acquiring the territorial sovereignty of "F&P", unilaterally "restored" the nationality of "Republic of China of the inhabitants of "F&P", which violated the "Occupant Shall Not Force People of Occupied Territory to Show Allegiance Principle" in international law. The Republic of China could not legally make the inhabitants of "F&P" the nationals of the Republic of China through this unilateral illegal action.
  • Since Japan renounced her territorial sovereignty to "F&P" in accordance with Treaty of San Francisco on April 28th, 1952, there is not any international treaty or document capable of deciding the owner of the territorial sovereignty to "F&P". Hence, the territorial sovereignty to "F&P" is still undetermined today.
  • After the Republic of China regime started to administer "F&P" on behalf of the whole Allied powers in accordance with the arrangement made in the General Order No. 1 of September 2nd, 1945, the Allied members have never issued any order or made any decision to terminate its military occupation of "F&P" performed through the Republic of China regime since October 25th, 1945. Since the post-war final disposition of "F&P" is not determined, they are still territories under the Allied occupation, and the Republic of China regime is still administering "F&P" on behalf of the whole Allied members. For "F&P", the Republic of China regime is the "Taiwan governing authorities" entrusted to manage "Taiwan (including Penghu)".
  • When the Treaty of San Francisco became effective on April 28th, 1952, inhabitants of "F&P" who originally held nationality of Japan lost their nationality and became legally "stateless". Although they were "deemed as" the nationals of the Republic of China governing "F&P" in accordance with the provision of the Treaty of Peace between Japan and the Republic of China, they became "stateless" again when Japan stopped recognizing the Republic of China regime as a state government on September 29th, 1972. This "stateless" status remains till today.
  • The Chinese Communist Party established a Chinese regime named the "People's Republic of China government" on October 1st, 1949. This regime aimed to replace the Republic of China regime led by Kuomintang to become the legitimate government of China. This regime was not a new sovereign state severed from the Republic of China. The People's Republic of China regime regarded itself as a new China government that replaced and inherited the Republic of China regime. Hence there are not "two sovereign states of China" but two Chinese regimes competing for "the status of the legitimate government of China".
  • Although the Republic of China regime moved the agencies of its central government to the then Japanese territories "F&P" on December 7th, 1949, the Republic of China regime still represented the UN member state China in the UN until the UN Assembly passed the Resolution No. 2758 on October 25th, 1971. The Chinese regime nature of the Republic of China regime was not affected by its fleeing to "Taiwan", and it did not become another sovereign state because of this.
  • Because the Republic of China regime constantly plays the role of the "Taiwan governing authorities" in "F&P", from the US Taiwan Relations Act Article 15, we know that the "governing authorities on Taiwan" may be referred to simply as "Taiwan", hence, all sovereign states that can no longer use the "Republic of China" as the state name to call the "Republic of China" regime after stopping recognizing it as the legitimate government of China started to call it "Taiwan (governing authorities) ". Furthermore, because fewer and fewer sovereign states call it the "Republic of China", more and more sovereign states started to call it "Taiwan (governing authorities) ", it started to call itself "Taiwan".
  • Since March 23rd, 1996, the result of the presidential election of the Republic of China held every four years was decided by "the people of the free area of the Republic of China". Under the administration of the Republic of China regime. Inhabitants of "F&P" whose Republic of China nationalities were "illegally restored" by the "Republic of China regime were treated as the nationals of the Republic of China and participated in the elections. Nevertheless, they always participated as the so-called "the people of the free area of the Republic of China".
  • In all presidential elections held by the Republic of China regime, no one has ever mentioned that the ownership of the territorial sovereignty of "F&P" would be changed by the election result and none of inhabitants of "F&P" had ever thought that the "right to self-determination" has been exercised. In addition, from the fact that the sequence number of the tenure of president was not zeroed but kept adding after the adoption of direct presidential election system, it is clear that the Republic of China regime after the adoption of direct presidential election system and the Republic of China before the adoption are the very same Republic of China.

  According to the above summaries, in terms of the legal status of "Taiwan (Formosa) & Penghu (the Pescadores)" and the "Republic of China", we can make the following conclusions:

  1. "F&P" was a Japanese colony to which Japan originally owned territorial sovereignty, the owner of its territorial sovereignty is undetermined now, its post-war final disposition is not determined, it is not the sovereign territory of any sovereign state, and it is not a sovereign state of its own.
  2. Since the post-war final disposition of "F&P" is not yet determined, the WWII Allied occupation of "F&P" performed by the Allied member the Republic of China (since October 25th, 1945) is not terminated, and hence "F&P" are still territories under the Allied occupation.
  3. The Republic of China regime is a Chinese regime established by Chinese in China when "F&P" was still part of Japan. This regime represented the winning Allied powers to occupy "F&P", the territories of the losing Japan, on October 25th, 1945. For "F&P", the Republic of China regime is the "Taiwan governing authorities" on behalf of the whole Allied members, not the state government of a sovereign state owning the territorial sovereignty of "F&P".
  4. The Republic of China regime and the People's Republic of China regime are both regimes of the sovereign state China. They started to compete for the status of the state government of China since October 1st, 1949, on which the People's Republic of China regime was established. However, this "battle of the status of state government of China" has nothing to do with "F&P", the land of undetermined territorial sovereignty.
  5. The Republic of China regime is a Chinese regime. Because the entities of its central government were all moved to "F&P" which is not Chinese territory, hence, the Republic of China regime on "F&P" is a Chinese regime-in-exile.
  6. The Republic of China regime claims that "'Taiwan (including Penghu)' has become the land of China" since 1945 based on the "'Taiwan' Retrocession" which has no legal effects. Hence, the first Chinese regime that claims "'Taiwan (including Penghu)' is part of China" after WWII is the Republic of China regime. The People's Republic of China regime, which claims that it replaced and inherited the Republic of China regime makes its claim of "'Taiwan (including Penghu)' is part of China" by continuing the lie of "'Taiwan' Retrocession" formerly told by the Republic of China regime.
  7. For every region currently under the effective control of the Republic of China regime, if its territorial sovereignty belonged to China before the Treaty of San Francisco entered into force on April 28th, 1952, such as Kinmen, Matsu and Dongsha Islands, its legal status is a Chinese territory under the control of a Chinese regime, the Republic of China regime.

  According to the points in the conclusions of international legal status mentioned above, we believe that:

  • Since the Republic of China regime is merely acting as the "Taiwan governing authorities" to occupy and administer "F&P" of undetermined territorial sovereignty owner on behalf of the whole Allied members, it has never acquired the territorial sovereignty of "F&P" for the sovereign state China, and hence, the People's Republic of China regime who claims itself the successor of the Republic of China regime will no longer be able to find support in international law for its claim of "'Taiwan (including Penghu)' is part of China" or use the "reunification of 'Taiwan'" to justify its illegal military threat against "F&P".
  • Based on the historical and legal facts, "F&P" is a former Japanese colony and inhabitants of "F&P" who themselves or their ancestors have been colonized by Japan are "inhabitants of former Japanese colony". With such legal qualification, these inhabitants of "F&P" shall be entitled to exercise their right to self-determination by international law to decide the future of the "former Japanese colony F&P" within the context of post-WWII international consensus of "Decolonization" and establish a sovereign state owning the territorial sovereignty of "F&P".
  • The Republic of China regime, as the executor of the Allied occupation task over "F&P", is obligated to stop falsely claiming that it owns the territorial sovereignty to "F&P", to tell the truth that it merely administers "F&P" on behalf of all WWII Allied members, and follow the post-war international consensus of "Decolonization" to hold a plebiscite for self-determination by international law in "F&P" for the inhabitants of "F&P" to exercise their right to decide the future of "F&P".
  • When the Republic of China regime of the nature of Chinese regime clearly admits that it has never acquired the territorial sovereignty to "F&P", the People's Republic of China regime who claims that it becomes the only legitimate government of China by succeeding the Republic of China regime would no longer be able to claim that "Taiwan" is part of China or justify its intention of (illegally) reunifying "Taiwan" by force on the basis that "the Republic of China regime had had acquired the territorial sovereignty of 'F&P' for China in 1945".
  • If the inhabitants of "F&P" who are entitle to exercise right to self-determination to decide the future of "F&P" within the "Decolonization" context do exercise their right to self-determination to decide the owner of the territorial sovereignty of "F&P" by international law (including the establishment of a new sovereign state having "F&P" as its territory), then the post-war final disposition of "F&P" shall be determined accordingly, and the WWII Allies' military occupation of "F&P" shall reach its end consequently. At this moment, the jobless Republic of China regime shall withdraw from "F&P".
  • When the Republic of China regime of the nature of Chinese regime withdraws from "F&P" following the termination of the Allies' occupation task of "F&P", "F&P" can completely get rid of China, and the People's Republic of China regime would not be able to claim that "Taiwan" is part of China or justify its intention of (illegally) reunifying "Taiwan" by force on the basis of the Republic of China regime's effective control over "F&P".
  • We must make more people to realize the truth of the legal status of "F&P" and "Republic of China" in international law, and help inhabitants of "F&P" to exercise right to self-determination to establish their own sovereign state to effectively prevent the People's Republic of China regime from illegally using force to invade non-Chinese territories "F&P", cause military conflict in Taiwan Strait and sabotage the peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific region and the whole world by falsely claiming that "F&P" is part of China!


※ Meanings of Sticker Elements ※

  By examining the very special passport in front of you in details, you would find the following four stickers:

台灣澎湖.盟軍佔領區 Sticker
  • This sticker is comprised of the Chinese term "台灣澎湖.盟軍佔領區" and its English translation "Formosa & the Pescadores|Territories Under WWII Allied Occupation". In the Treaty of San Francisco, Formosa and the Pescadores were used to identify former Japanese territories the Taiwan island (including affiliated islands) and Penghu islands respectively. Today, we usually use Taiwan island and Penghu islands.
  • This sticker would appear at the location on new version of passport front cover where the Chinese term "中華民國" is printed (A), or on old version of passport front cover where the Chinese term "中華民國" and the English term "REPUBLIC OF CHINA" are printed (A)+(C).
  • This sticker is ued to express the fact that: the passport holder comes from a place called "Taiwan (Formosa) & Penghu (the Pescadores)", and this place is still territories under WWII Allied occpation.
Flag of WWII Allies Sticker
  • This sticker is comprised of a white circle and four red vertical lines. This design comes from the flag used by the WWII Allies: United Nations Honour Flag 
  • This sticker would appear at the location on passport front cover where the national emblem of the Republic of China is printed (New (B), Old (B)).
  • This sticker is used to express the fact that: the location of the passport issuer, i.e. "Taiwan (Formosa) & Penghu (the Pescadores)", is still territories under WWII Allied occupation.
The Passport Issuer Sticker
  • This sticker is comprised of an English term TAIWAN GOVERNING AUTHORITIES which means "the governing authorities on Taiwan".
  • This sticker would appear at the location on passport front cover where TAIWAN is printed (New (F), Old (E)).
  • This sticker is used to express the fact that: this passport is issued by the "Taiwan governing authorities" administering "the territories under the Allied occupation - Formosa & the Pescadores". This passport is not issued by a political eneity belongs to China, i.e. the "Republic of China (regime)" or "the sovereign state Taiwan named the Republic of China" said by politicians. Because:
    1. "The territorial sovereign of F&P" does not belong to China
    2. The inhabitants of "F&P" have never exercised their right to self-determination to establish their own sovereign state and hence "Taiwan" is not a sovereign state yet.
EXPLANATION QR Code Sticker
  • This sticker is comprised of a 2-D QR code and the English word "EXPLANATION".
  • This sticker would be applied to appropriate location on the front or back cover of passport.
  • One can access this page for explanation by scanning this code with cellphone or other 2D QR code scanners.

  According to the information provided in the above section ※ The true situation of Taiwan ※, we believe that you would agree that, comparing to the original passport design, a passport covered with these stickers could more correctly and precisely explain where does the passport holder come from (i.e. Taiwan (Formosa) & Penghu (the Pescadores) under the Allies' occupation), who the issuer of this passport actually is, and "the true legal status of Taiwan (including Penghu)", and make more people to understand the truths about 'F&P' in history and international law: "'F&P' is not part of China" and "'F&P' is not a sovereign state yet and is still territories under the WWII Allied occupation".


※ Why use stickers? ※

  Basically, people of Taiwan applying above stickers on their passports know "the truth of legal status of 'Taiwan'" quite well and are willing to take actions to establish a sovereign state truly of their own. The passport holder aims to achieve the following goals by applying stickers on passport cover:

  • Tell the Republic of China regime clearly that "I already know the truth and I will not be deceived again!"
  • Tell the world clearly that: I come from Taiwan (Formosa) / Penghu (the Pescadores). While this place is not part of China, it is not a sovereign state yet, either. It is a place still under the occupation of WWII Allies.
  • Tell the world clearly that: the government-like entity currently administers "F&P" is not "Taiwan", but the "Taiwan governing authorities" entrusted by the WWII Allies to administer "F&P".
  • Attract attention from people of great curiosity and desire for knowledge like you to realize "the truth of legal status of Taiwan", help more people like you to acquire these important information, and solicit outside support when the inhabitants of "F&P" strive to establish their own sovereign state and get rid off the colonial assimilation and threat from China.

  Simply put, applying stickers on the passport is an action that we, the inhabitants of "F&P", take to tell the world that "we want to establish a sovereign state truly of our own".


※ What can I do? ※

  If after reading the above information, you agree with the messages conveyed and the movement of conveying "the truth of legal status of Taiwan" through stickers on passport, we would be very grateful if you could kindly share this page of explanation with your families and friends and allow more people to understand the true international status of "Taiwan", the predicament "Taiwan" is in, and the actual help "Taiwan" really needs.

  Also, we hope you can give the passport holder a big "thumb up" and say some encouraging words. That's because after applying these stickers on the passport front cover, the passport holder in front of you may have been harassed by officials at customs when entering/leaving the boarder, questioned the authenticity of the passport, forced to endure unreasonable interrogation, requested to remove stickers, and questioning, verbal insulting, and attacks from other people who do not realize the actual situation due to the deceiving information provided by the Republic of China regime, etc.

  Hence, while these are just a few stickers, it requires great courage to put these stickers on passport front cover. So, we hope that you can show your suppor to this courageous "Taiwanese" in front of you to support the continuation of this movement, which is meaningful to both "Taiwan" and the whole world!


※ References ※


You may refer to the following supplementary information for details about the explanation mentioned above: