Apparently Taiwan's re-elected president, Chen Shui-bian, is pro-independence, so of course bound to raise the ire of the Chinese government. The amazing thing is how strongly China feels about Taiwan, despite being "ideological and diplomatic foes since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949".
1949!! Self-determination Taiwan has. And self-government. To an extent. What they are being denied is their right to choose secession, or, more accurately the right to call themselves a separate state. It could be accurately said they seceded 55 years ago. That's the reality. China refuses to recognise it, and threatens force to deny it. I don't know what percentage of Taiwanese people want to remain separate from mainland China, but they should be allowed to do so openly.
I would like to think China wouldn't invade them, but there's no knowing. I would like to think the US (because nobody else will do it) would threaten to protect Taiwan in the hope this would force China to accept it. That would of course be a dangerous call, because things would get ugly if the US and China ended up fighting over a small island in the East China Sea.
So we try to keep the status quo. And the Taiwanese lose because they're not allowed a free choice. 55 years. When is effective separation long enough?
the earley edition - Posted by Dave @ 5/21/2004 06:24:00 pm || ||
