this post was submitted on 20 Dec 2023
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[–] [email protected] 110 points 11 months ago (14 children)

That has literally been their policy since Mao. This is not news.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Xi seems to see it as a objective he intends to accomplish in his life.

[–] [email protected] 35 points 11 months ago

So did his predecessors.

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[–] [email protected] 35 points 11 months ago (5 children)

How will China convince all those Taiwanese people to vote for unification?

[–] [email protected] 10 points 11 months ago

Take a look at Hong Kong

[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago

I suspect China believes it can outpace the economic growth of Taiwan in the long run. If Taiwan’s business elites start to think they’re missing out on that growth by opposing reunification, then you’ll see a political shift in Taiwan.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago

In Chinese: "it sure would be a shame if I happened to lose control of all these bullets and bombs around ~~my~~ your country."

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

Bold of you to assume they’ll actually count the votes

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[–] [email protected] 34 points 11 months ago (2 children)

The PRC has always maintained that Taiwan is part of China and will be eventually incorporated back into PRC. (The ROC had the same position, but with respect to the mainland until 1991.) Taiwan was in fact part of China from 1683 until the Japanese started their imperial colonization of China and Korea, taking Taiwan in 1895. It would be news and a really big deal if the PRC stopped making that claim.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 11 months ago (1 children)

... will be eventually incorporated back into PRC

It has never been part of the PRC.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago (1 children)

As far as the PRC is concerned Taiwan has always been part of the PRC. That was the point. The Taiwan policy of the PRC hasn’t changed.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

It also depends on your personal definition of a "nation" and whether you consider the Chinese Civil War to be over.

Fun History Fact:

Truman wasn't initially willing to involve the US in defending Taiwan from the PRC finishing the job in 1949, but no one bothered to tell them that, and then the Korean War kicked off and he instituted what would become known as the "Containment" policy.

[–] HobbitFoot 4 points 11 months ago

Yeah. This is a dance that the USA and China have been doing for half a century. The agreed upon resolution has been that the USA doesn't declare that Taiwan is a sovereign nation and China doesn't invade in the near term.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 11 months ago (2 children)

My pet theory is that this was said specifically to destabilize the US. As others have said, this is not new. China has been saying this for a long time. But 100% the GOP is going to call Biden weak for not shutting Xi down and instead saying the US supports a "One China Policy " without any critical thought as to what the dynamics are.

This is to fire up the right wing base.

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 11 months ago (1 children)

So that means Taiwan will become whole again?

[–] [email protected] 22 points 11 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

Yo this shit fire 🔥

[–] [email protected] 22 points 11 months ago (1 children)

At this point Taiwan has been independent for a good long time so it’s probably time to recognize that. This comes down to what the people in Taiwan want. I’m guessing they are good with the current situation as it keeps tensions down but sooner or later they are going to have to make a hard choice and the US needs to back them on it. Either they vote for reunification (unlikely but you never know) or they unequivocally identify as not-China and completely independent. In the second case the US and world should be prepared to back Taiwan. What will actually happen? Well, if I were Taiwan, I wouldn’t want to piss of a neighbor like that who is likely to go psycho when you officially breakup. It’s like ripping off a bandaid. I would be terrified of what China will do no matter who is baking me up. Taiwan will have to make a choice sooner or later but I completely understand their hesitation.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago

No you don't get it people wanting to be free is just imperialist propaganda which can only be overcome by even bigger imperialism. They don't actually want to be free, they're just brainwashed.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 11 months ago (13 children)

Let's make West Taiwan happen

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

You mean mainland Taiwan?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

Ah, and now the China become the Chinese

I'm going back to my shame-corner...

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

You mean mainland Taiwan?

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 11 months ago (1 children)

....after US gets their chip manufacturing off the island.

When the US can make their own chips, they won't be risking defending Taiwan.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

I’d say Taiwan serves US geopolitical interests beyond just chip manufacturing. It exists as a separate political entity thanks to the US who intervened in the Chinese civil war to protect Chiang Kai-shek’s military dictatorship. The PRC wants to remedy what they perceive as the consequences of foreign interference in China’s political affairs. That enables the US to use their support for Taiwanese independence as leverage in their attempts to suppress China’s economic rise.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (3 children)

The only way the current strategy of both sides changes is if a major factor changes, otherwise this cold standoff is the most stable place for both sides on the matter.

It could be that an election in Taiwan is won by a very pro-China party - a similar thing led to rapid changes in Hong Kong. Or an American leader changes tactics dramatically because theres no longer an incentive to support Taiwan.

Taiwan needs to be careful to guard against either situation happening.

Differing from many superpowers that came before the US, the US has a reputation of following through on what it says it will do long term, and the vast geopolitical diplomatic reach of the Americans means that for now, China would experience too high an economic cost to try and change this balance unilaterally.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago

How nice. So Taiwan leader can rule over all China. We don't need China anymore. So generous of Xi.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago

What was Biden's response? I'm too lazy/apathetic/ADHD to read the article.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

The US won't allow it given how much industry there is of strategic importance to the US.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (2 children)

For now. There's already shovels in the ground for the US to make their own advanced semi-conductors

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

China's very own Cato. Ceterum censeo...

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