Sovereignty is something you observe, not something you declare. A regime that is successfully able to maintain control of its territory and prevent its territory from being controlled by anyone else, for a n indefinite period of time, is by definition sovereign. That is what sovereignty is.
Taiwan's regime has been able to control its territory for decades. PRC can claim that they wish Taiwan was not sovereign, and this is very true, but until they successfully invade and take it over, Taiwan is still sovereign.
Just a little English vocabulary lesson!
There is nothing "by definition" when talking about the legality of sovereignty of countries.
Is Palestine a sovereign State, if "it is by definition"?
> Sovereignty is something you observe, not something you declare
You are confusing sovereignty (or trying to confuse the readers on purpose) with being a recognized sovereign country, which is a legal construct, we have developed International legal frameworks for that, we enforce them, using the force if necessary, or I could declare the land where my house is built upon "a sovereign country".
I clearly can't, can I?
If China attacks Taiwan, technically it's not really an invasion.
It makes a big difference.
> Taiwan's regime has been able to control its territory for decades
So has done Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.
edit: technically the Taiwanese one is not a regime, it's an elected government.
> Just a little English vocabulary lesson!
maybe you should focus more on "text comprehension" than on the vocabulary.
No, neither I nor the parent were talking about "legality" just sovereignty. This "legal" sovereignty is a concept you and you alone have introduced to the discussion, and frankly I think it's a pretty useless and nonsense concept in practical terms. (There is no world government, after all, and laws are different in every country, so legality at an international level is a kind of meaningless philosophical question in the absence of someone able and willing to enforce it)
Please look up "sovereignty" in the dictionary: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sovereignty
moving the goalpost much?
I specifically talked about "sovereign countries recognized by the UN"
So yeah, I introduced it, because it's the only thing that matters.
Nobody cares about sovereignty outside of legal borders and international recognition.
Are Catalans sovereign in Catalonia?
Nobody cares unless they can get international recognition.
Are Lombard sovereign in Lombardy?
Who cares?
Nobody, unless they can obtain the recognition of the UN.
I'm sovereign in my bedroom, too bad nobody cares.
Anyway you wrote "Taiwan is a sovereign country by definition", no, it's not.
It's a disputed territory, the matter is very complex, there are strong opposing interests of various natures conflicting over it, for a part of the World there are humanitarian reasons to support their claims, but technically it's still part of China (PRC), the one the international authorities recognize.
Why is there the US army to defend them against a Chinese take over, if there is no way to enforce anything internationally?
Also, go and read about the 2021 referendums
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on the island of Taiwan has been criticized for selling the interests of the people of Taiwan out in exchange for US support of its secessionist political pursuit
[...]
Taiwan residents have expressed great concern over the import of pork containing ractopamine, an additive banned by many countries, as this issue impacts the health interests of every Taiwan resident, Zhu said.
Thousands of people flooded Taipei's streets in late November for a protest march, with much of the anger focused on the DDP authorities' decision to ease restrictions on imports of US pork.
The DPP authority has allowed the import of thousands of tons of ractopamine-contaminated US port since January 1, according to media reports.
This is enough to expose the fact that the DPP has ignored the interests of the people on the island, and is aimed at currying favor with certain political and economic forces in the US
What do you think would happen if at the next elections a President pro reunification with mainland prevails?
So their sovereignty is still not "by definition" in any sense.
No matter what side you are on.
> There is no world government, after all
There is, however.
The fact that you don't recognize it, it's irrelevant.
If tomorrow New Yorkers declare themselves sovereign over the NY territory, do you think the US government will let them print money and elect a president?
Enlighten me on why not, please.
> No, neither I nor the parent
the parent wrote
"Imagine if Apple told Ukraine employees to label Russia on their badges"
and I explained why it would be different.
Made in Ukraine it's a thing, because Ukraine is recognized as sovereign Nation, while Russia is another country, currently trying to occupy Ukraine by force.
Made in Taiwan no, not legally, it's like made in Palestine, made in Catalonia, made in Sicily or made in Calgary.
If it's made in Taiwan, it's made in China, if it's made in Ukraine it's not Russian (at least for now)
Definition of sovereignty
1a: supreme power especially over a body politic
b: freedom from external control : AUTONOMY
c: controlling influence
2: one that is sovereign especially : an autonomous state
None of those definitions apply to Taiwan.
‘Using the phrase "Made in Taiwan" on any import declaration forms, documents or cartons’
Made in Taiwan is, at the moment, legally like "made in California", which is a fine Beach Boys album, but not a recognized country of origin label.
In the case of Apple though, they should have put "made in China" on their iPhones, because that's where they were made (even in the case that the two Chinas situation is recognized by International institutions)
edit: apparently stating the obvious deserves downvotes here, I still don't know if it's Russians offended by the sovereignty of Ukraine or someone from Vatican State, one among the few to recognize Taiwan as a sovereign country.