China's Xi says 'reunification' with Taiwan is inevitable
cnbc.com
cnbc.com
"striking a stronger tone" is simply factually incorrect. He said reunification is a "historical inevitablity" (历史必然), which is word-for-word the exact same language he's been using since as far back as 2014. [1]
[1] http://politics.people.com.cn/n/2014/0927/c70731-25745785.ht...
Not OPs fault, of course, but so many big name outlets do this.
Not only that but also using quotes for every occurence of the word 'reunification' is not really subtle...
Not to mention that in the case of Germany and Korea both parts are similar in size. And the conditions for the worst off-people improves (or improved in the case of Germany) considerably.
In the case of Taiwan their population's freedom will be reduced and for the people in China there will be no change. It's not reunification, it's forced subordination.
And reunification isn't always a good thing. For example look at Ukraine, they have no interest in 'reunification' with Russia. Another big example where those quotes would be justified. Because they'd be transformed from a proud independent country to a crumple zone for Russia.
Or Yugoslavia. Bringing all those different populations together in one country again is a guarantee for another war.
Nobody argued that German reunification was indeed a reunification.
With China there is a narrative that tries to convey that thie situation is different and that this is not really a reunification... which is obviously not the reality.
Also, it's not really a "re" unification either because Taiwan has never been under CCP control. Before that Chinese rule goes back to the 1890s but it always had its own indigenous people and customs.
> it's not really a "re" unification either because Taiwan has never been under CCP control
This is the usual argument, which is obviously bogus. The Democratic Republic of Germany was never under the control of the Federal Republic of Germany before the reunification, this is irrelevant.
> Before that Chinese rule goes back to the 1890s but it always had its own indigenous people and customs.
Chinese rule dates further back (Taiwan was formally annexed in 1684). Local people and customs are also irrelevant here as indeed Taiwan had been absorbed into the Chinese Empire and then the Republic of China (which, formally it still is).
Hence my point that all of this is manipulation of Western public opinion because, no matter what (including the mainland becoming a democracy), the interest of the US is to keep Taiwan split from mainland China.
The only reason they don't want to declare independence is that they're afraid it will provoke the CCP into a military response. This is where the wishy-washy stance comes from. Not from uncertainty of what they want.
But if it happens it will be against the wishes of the Taiwanese people. If the mainland would become a democracy I could see this happen, though trust would have to be built up over decades.
> The Democratic Republic of Germany was never under the control of the Federal Republic of Germany before the reunification, this is irrelevant.
No but because of this the west had no legitimate claim to the east. The people of the east wanted to be included. This is why it happened, as it should. There was a clear mutual benefit and wish to do it. In the case of Taiwan it's just about the CCP wishing to take its ancient enemy out of the game, even though it no longer poses any threat at all.
> The only reason they don't want to declare independence is that they're afraid it will provoke the CCP into a military response.
That's not true. A lot of people there, especially those whose family fled the communists, do agree that Taiwan is indeed part of China (just not the PRC).
Communist China and the Republic of China will merge when it becomes advantageous to both.
And it's nobody else's business but theirs.
With the Germanies the East went from a one-party dictatorship to democracy. With Taiwan it's going to be the opposite (Hong Kong has shown clearly how true that is)
The only 'advantage' for them will be that China doesn't destroy them.
No such animal anywhere in the world. Oligarchies yes, democracies no.