Under the Roof of One China is a political principle introduced by James Soong in regard to the relationship between

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...

and the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level o ...

. In 2003, during the

2004 Republic of China presidential election Presidential elections were held in Taiwan on 20 March 2004. A consultative referendum took place on the same day regarding relations with the People's Republic of China. President Chen Shui-bian and Vice President Annette Lu of the Democratic ...

campaign, both

Mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the China, People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming Island, Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territorie ...

(People's Republic of China) and

(Republic of China) had an

epidemic An epidemic (from Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of patients among a given population within an area in a short period of time. Epidemics of infectious ...

severe acute respiratory syndrome Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory disease of zoonotic origin caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV or SARS-CoV-1), the first identified strain of the SARS coronavirus species, ''sev ...

(SARS) at the same time. Taiwan, being one of the most endemic areas, did not receive advice from the

(WHO) because it lost its UN seat in 1976. Taiwan claims that the lack of direct communication precluded proper handling of the disease and caused unnecessary deaths on the island. In May 2003, James Soong, the Vice Presidential candidate under

Lien Chan Lien Chan (; born 27 August 1936) is a Taiwanese politician. He was the Chairman of the Taiwan Provincial Government from 1990 to 1993, Premier of the Republic of China from 1993 to 1997, Vice President of the Republic of China from 1996 to 20 ...

, criticized the ruling party for not being able to participate in WHO and thus receiving no international assistance on controlling the spread of SARS. Soong proposed that once elected, he would not challenge the One-China principle set by the People's Republic of China but at the same time would seek international participation in different international organizations. He named this cross-strait policy "Under the Roof of One China". Soong believed that with this principle, he would be able to lead Taiwan to obtain a seat in WHO. Political opponents questioned how he could guard the sovereignty of Taiwan and accept Taiwan as a part of China at the same time. The principle was subsequently abandoned by him and his running mate in the 2004 presidential election.

References

See also