Hmmmmm .....
The last time the political science department of my uni organized
a forum on this issue, a fight nearly broke out between the Chinese
and Taiwanese students in the auditorium. I must say, PR-wise, at
the grass-root level, Taiwan is winning, despite whatever tactics
China uses to curb the International space of the Taiwanese, lots
of goverments, infact, most goverments around the world recognizes
China, and Taiwan as part of China officially, but I have the sense
that at the grass-roots level, especially in the west, most people
are sympathetic to the Taiwanese cause. (Rabid, chest-thumping
nationalist rhectoric doesn't help things either, I was so
embaressed at the forum I left before it was over, I thought I'd go
to a forum where participants from both sides can air their views
frankly and openly, not shouted things like "Taiwan belongs to us !
" )
to put things in a non-normative light, while all the Chinese
students I know over here, down to a man, believe that Taiwan
belongs to China, and belive that the use of force to recover
Taiwan is justified as well, Most Taiwanese also believe that
Taiwan has already been a de facto independent state for a very
very long time. You got to remember that unlike the kuomintang old
guards that went into exile from the mainland in 49' new generation
of Taiwanese, born and bred on the island, don't harbour the kind
of warm fuzzy kinship that the older generation of kuomintang
leaders have (Chen Shui bian is a good example of this). And I can
tell you this, the cultural affinity is also skin-deep too ...
after 50 years apart the societies of Taiwan and China has evolved
very differently. And this link between the two sides get eroded
day by day, as the old guards in Taiwan die off and are replaced by
a new generation of locally born leaders. It's like the
relationship between Singapore and Malaysia ... we were intertwined
together in so many ways, and still are, infact ... but
Singaporeans certainly do not consider Malaysia as an "Ah bang",
big brother, or of the same family, now .... and the newer
generation of Taiwanese do feel the same way about China ...
I think that if China and Taiwan doesn't initiate serious dialogues
and commit both sides to a seriously to reunification, it will only
be a matter of time before some new generation of Taiwanese leader
get some aspirations to be the "founding father" of the Taiwan
nation and declare independence, and a war will be inevitable then
... with the military muscle of China, she certainly won't loose
this war ... but she may not "win" it ... if you know what i mean
...
(and what some of the chap mentioned about Taiwan and Taiwanese
domestic politics is correct ... Taiwanese politicians are
certainly domestically oriented, and the democratic process is more
like a circus, hence the Singapore = piece of booger comments ...
but that makes it more dangerous eh ? ... some small, provincial
minded peepsqeak may just bring war into the Taiwan Straits one
day, look out for Beijing 08' I suspect it's a very good time for
some in Taiwan to develop an itchy backside ... )
edited to get rid of stupid emoticons ...
