[taiwansemi]

Time is running out for Taiwan. Every Taiwanese youngster today knows that his personal economic future is inextricably linked to the mainland. He is likely to even marry a mainland wife. The basis for Taiwan's democracy all along was the wealth and middle-class lifestyle that Taiwan's hi-tech, export-based "economic miracle" produced over the past several decades. Now, that entire hi-tech industrial base is being transferred to the maindland wholesale. Soon, there'll be no industry left in Taiwan except Taiwanese boy bands and rice farming. Taiwan's standard of living is already declining, its economy is wasting away, and its tax revenues and military budgets are shrinking. An island of 23 mil. cannot compete economically (and, thus, militarily) with a nation of 1.3 bil. indefinitely. America wants to hook its economic future onto the mainland's fast economic growth story over the next several decades, not Taiwan's no-growth, Asian boy-band story. Chen's making some noises now, but Taiwan's economic future is inextricably linked to the mainland.

[Cronos]

Time is running out for Taiwan. Every Taiwanese youngster today knows that his personal economic future is inextricably linked to the mainland

ooh, more communist propaganda. Russ -- doesn't this sound very much like Soviet style gloss?