Should Taiwan be independent?

bolido2000

Diamond Member
Dec 3, 2001
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All the China threats mention that Taiwan is the only possible trigger of a potential war with them.
Does Taiwan have the right to be an independent country? Is Taiwan an internal conflict and China has the right to take it back even if force is necessary?

 

notfred

Lifer
Feb 12, 2001
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The United States apparently doesn't beleive that parts of a country have the right to secede.
 

bozo1

Diamond Member
May 21, 2001
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Taiwan is independent. It's just communist China that doesn't think so.
 

bolido2000

Diamond Member
Dec 3, 2001
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Originally posted by: bozo1
Taiwan is independent. It's just communist China that doesn't think so.

Taiwan is kind of in the middle. Most countries recognize only China, not Taiwan.
 

IamDavid

Diamond Member
Sep 13, 2000
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Yes, they should be but its not gonna happen :( North Korea will continue making a fuss and push the US and its allies closer to war, then China will step in and say they will end the problem if the US officially denounces Taiwan's independents which we will do to avoid a Nuclear war. Then China will be able to go and kill the "free Taiwan" leaders of Taiwan..

I know it sounds like a conspiracy theory but it makes sense if you think about it. :(
 

freebee

Diamond Member
Dec 30, 2000
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The prospect of the US going to war over a domestic dispute is hardly likely, especially since it hurts America far more than China. The US needs China for its manufacturing, its labor, and its vast consumer markets. And besides, in a non-nuclear war, the US can't win a against China.
 

jacob0401

Platinum Member
Jul 31, 2001
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As of now they are basically independent except that China doesn't acknowledge it and many countries acknowledge there being one China. However, eventually it will be to the best interest of the Chinese people as a whole to reunite and thus making "China" stronger. Many Chinese hope for this and signs are showing that it is inevitable that the Chinese people will be united again. For example the economics many Taiwanese companies are outsourcing to China as it is cheaper, the communist government in China is a dying legacy and is being replaced by more "western" economic and open minded leaders, and the sentiment of most people is for reunifcation. I think perhaps the only people that would oppose eventual, not immediate, reunification would be the Taiwanese of aboriginal descent. They were there before the Nationalists fled communist China and are considered truely Taiwanese and would be the only ones who truely oppose unification and advocate independence.

Anyways...that's how I see it. I'm Chinese and my parents are from Taiwan. Also, if China and Taiwan were to go to war Taiwan could not last more than a week without immediate US military intervention.
 

IamDavid

Diamond Member
Sep 13, 2000
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Originally posted by: freebee
The prospect of the US going to war over a domestic dispute is hardly likely, especially since it hurts America far more than China. The US needs China for its manufacturing, its labor, and its vast consumer markets. And besides, in a non-nuclear war, the US can't win a against China.

WTF?? China could beat the US in a non Nuclear war?? What are you smoking? I want some. :)
 

fastz28

Golden Member
Mar 27, 2001
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I'm Chinese and my parents are from Taiwan

Are you already biased against Taiwan Independence?

That's like saying I'm American and my parents are from Texas.
 

jacob0401

Platinum Member
Jul 31, 2001
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Originally posted by: IamDavid
Originally posted by: freebee
The prospect of the US going to war over a domestic dispute is hardly likely, especially since it hurts America far more than China. The US needs China for its manufacturing, its labor, and its vast consumer markets. And besides, in a non-nuclear war, the US can't win a against China.

WTF?? China could beat the US in a non Nuclear war?? What are you smoking? I want some. :)

I doubt that the US could "win" either...depends on your definition of win. It would be highly costly and to absolutely defeat and control China would be impossible. China has humungous manpower reserves and even if they were defeated on the battlefield the Chinese would go underground and wage a guerilla war that the US would never win.
 

Jmman

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Dec 17, 1999
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I think a lot of people equate a large standing army with military power. The fact is that although they have a larger standing army , we have twice as many resevrve troops making total numbers comparable. Combine that with the fact that the Chinese army is relatively poorly equipped, they wouldn't stand much of a chance. We spend 10 times more than China does on our military.....
 

jacob0401

Platinum Member
Jul 31, 2001
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Originally posted by: fastz28
I'm Chinese and my parents are from Taiwan

Are you already biased against Taiwan Independence?

That's like saying I'm American and my parents are from Texas.

If I was from Taiwan I would in fact lean towards pro-independence, but what i'm trying to say is that there is no really a two china sentiment among the chinese people and that most would prefer reunification as opposed to war over independence.
 

jacob0401

Platinum Member
Jul 31, 2001
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Originally posted by: Jmman
I think a lot of people equate a large standing army with military power. The fact is that although they have a larger standing army , we have twice as many resevrve troops making total numbers comparable. Combine that with the fact that the Chinese army is relatively poorly equipped, they wouldn't stand much of a chance. We spend 10 times more than China does on our military.....

But what if it turns into guerilla war/attrition China's population would last longer. Especially if the war was over Taiwan vs. China the public outcry would be huge if America engaged war of attrition (this is a possibility because of no nukes). As long as the United States itself was not attacked and it was US troops on Chinese soil then I believe the public would tolerate very little in terms of military losses.

Similar to a Vietnam scenario i guess...
 

fastz28

Golden Member
Mar 27, 2001
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Originally posted by: jacob0401
Originally posted by: fastz28
I'm Chinese and my parents are from Taiwan

Are you already biased against Taiwan Independence?

That's like saying I'm American and my parents are from Texas.

If I was from Taiwan I would in fact lean towards pro-independence, but what i'm trying to say is that there is no really a two china sentiment among the chinese people and that most would prefer reunification as opposed to war over independence.

So, you are saying most Chinese would prefer reunification.

I'd say that most Taiwanese would prefer status quo, that is, China: mind your own business and stay away from Taiwan.
 

ProviaFan

Lifer
Mar 17, 2001
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Originally posted by: IamDavid
Originally posted by: freebee
The prospect of the US going to war over a domestic dispute is hardly likely, especially since it hurts America far more than China. The US needs China for its manufacturing, its labor, and its vast consumer markets. And besides, in a non-nuclear war, the US can't win a against China.
WTF?? China could beat the US in a non Nuclear war?? What are you smoking? I want some. :)
Are you forgetting that some irresponsible leaders of our country sold the communist Chinese leaders nuclear weapons that they shouldn't have had? I don't know if they've done a lot with that info, but I wouldn't say that they couldn't do much to hurt us.
 

newbiepcuser

Diamond Member
Jan 1, 2001
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Originally posted by: bozo1
Taiwan is independent. It's just communist China that doesn't think so.


Not just China. --->>>Linky


From the CNN.com
But Taiwan has made little headway, with only 26 countries, most of them small and poor, recognizing Taiwan.

The US current policy is sell Taiwan weapons but supports Beijing's policy of unified China without the use of force by China.
rolleye.gif




 

fastz28

Golden Member
Mar 27, 2001
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But Taiwan has made little headway, with only 26 countries, most of them small and poor, recognizing Taiwan.

Because most countries, including the U.S., are afraid of losing the hugh consumer market in China.

I believe most of the other countries that recognize Taiwan are "bought" by the Taiwanese gov't, in terms of financial aids.
 

GiLtY

Golden Member
Sep 10, 2000
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Taiwan is basically an independent country, it formed its own government, constitutions, so I don't see why not!

But China is still in the mindframe where Taiwan should be part of the China because of the previous history, but China actually gave up China during WWII, and the people who flee from China (they have different political opinion with the majority of the chinese people) went to Taiwan and got rid of the Japanese. So technically Taiwan is more than qualified to be a country of its own.
 

gopunk

Lifer
Jul 7, 2001
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Originally posted by: IamDavid
Originally posted by: freebee
The prospect of the US going to war over a domestic dispute is hardly likely, especially since it hurts America far more than China. The US needs China for its manufacturing, its labor, and its vast consumer markets. And besides, in a non-nuclear war, the US can't win a against China.

WTF?? China could beat the US in a non Nuclear war?? What are you smoking? I want some. :)

the US couldn't win against north vietnam

kind of sad how fast we forget things...

anyways, no. but i don't think the communist party should be in power either. it's all ME baby :D

 

GiLtY

Golden Member
Sep 10, 2000
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the US couldn't even win against north vietnam

In the vietnam war? I thought the only reason that NV won was because they attacked SV after the US troops pulled out, and the reason the US troops were out was because the NV signed a treaty with the US
 

gopunk

Lifer
Jul 7, 2001
29,239
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Originally posted by: GiLtY
the US couldn't even win against north vietnam

In the vietnam war? I thought the only reason that NV won was because they attacked SV after the US troops pulled out, and the reason the US troops were out was because the NV signed a treaty with the US

there is no singular reason... it was a combination of many many factors. but the fact remains that the US was not winning, and never did.