Eug
Lifer
- Mar 11, 2000
- 24,172
- 1,813
- 126
Although I was born and raised in Canada, I have lived in China, and I have been to Taiwan several times. I have relatives in the military on both sides, in both regions.
Despite Taiwan's relative wealth, Taiwan seems far more immature politically than even China. It would be a mistake to arm Taiwan with nukes for obvious reasons. OTOH, this issue has come up several times with my relatives and the usual answer is that Taiwan doesn't need to defend itself because the US will come to its rescue. While this is possible, this is not guaranteed, especially with the US trying to better relations with the mainland for economic reasons. Plus one wonders if the US administration would be willing to sacrifice it's own country's citizens when both the Republican and Democratic administations have acknowledged that Taiwan is in fact a province of China.
As for the good being leeched out of Hong Kong, that is a simplistic statement. It is true that freedom of expression has taken a hit there since the takeover. On the other hand it has continued to prosper financially, and the link with China has offered many opportunities. It is amazing to see the continued transformation of southern Guangdong province, funded partially by Hong Kong money. This in turns generates more cash for Hong Kong business. Shenzhen, which is just a stone's throw away and now has several million people. The last time I was there (and I'm not that old) there were just a few 10's of thousands of people. One could argue that the "takeover" is of Hong Kong over southern China.
The same applies to the Taiwan issue. If I were a Taiwan resident, I would never accept a Communist Chinese goverment ruling over me in the short term. However, to unilaterally declare independence would be a serious mistake. Japan would have a field day. Already Taiwan and Japan are fighting for access to parts of the Chinese market. Japan has the advantage of better technology and a better infrastructure, but Taiwan has the huge advantage of a common language and heritage. With an independent Taiwan, all of that would be lost. Furthermore, not only would the huge market of mainland China be lost, economic links with the rest of the world would be at serious risk, since China continue to have a lot of clout in the world scene.
Despite Taiwan's relative wealth, Taiwan seems far more immature politically than even China. It would be a mistake to arm Taiwan with nukes for obvious reasons. OTOH, this issue has come up several times with my relatives and the usual answer is that Taiwan doesn't need to defend itself because the US will come to its rescue. While this is possible, this is not guaranteed, especially with the US trying to better relations with the mainland for economic reasons. Plus one wonders if the US administration would be willing to sacrifice it's own country's citizens when both the Republican and Democratic administations have acknowledged that Taiwan is in fact a province of China.
As for the good being leeched out of Hong Kong, that is a simplistic statement. It is true that freedom of expression has taken a hit there since the takeover. On the other hand it has continued to prosper financially, and the link with China has offered many opportunities. It is amazing to see the continued transformation of southern Guangdong province, funded partially by Hong Kong money. This in turns generates more cash for Hong Kong business. Shenzhen, which is just a stone's throw away and now has several million people. The last time I was there (and I'm not that old) there were just a few 10's of thousands of people. One could argue that the "takeover" is of Hong Kong over southern China.
The same applies to the Taiwan issue. If I were a Taiwan resident, I would never accept a Communist Chinese goverment ruling over me in the short term. However, to unilaterally declare independence would be a serious mistake. Japan would have a field day. Already Taiwan and Japan are fighting for access to parts of the Chinese market. Japan has the advantage of better technology and a better infrastructure, but Taiwan has the huge advantage of a common language and heritage. With an independent Taiwan, all of that would be lost. Furthermore, not only would the huge market of mainland China be lost, economic links with the rest of the world would be at serious risk, since China continue to have a lot of clout in the world scene.
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