Statehood in Troubled Waters: The International Status of the RoC and the Rules on the Use of Force

The blatant aggression of Ukraine by the Russian Federation has exacerbated the already intractable question of the Republic of China (RoC)and made more palpable the risk of a military intervention by the People’s Republic of China (PRC).[2] Given the contempt for the most fundamental international rules demonstrated by the Russian Federation, but also before it by other States intervening in Iraq and elsewhere, the PRC may be tempted to forcibly invade the RoC, which it considers as a renegade province. This paper offers the essential historical background (section 2), and a reflection on the international legal status of the RoC (section 3); the legal relationships between the RoC and the other subjects of the international community (section 4); and the rules on the use of force applicable between the PRC and the RoC (section 5).