Posted on 08/10/2018 12:59:44 AM PDT by Zhang Fei
The election of Tsai Ing-wen of the Taiwan-centric Democratic Progressive Party in January 2016 marked the end of a phase in cross-strait relations when Beijing still believed in the possibility of winning the hearts and minds of the Taiwanese through “goodwill” and economic incentives. Since then, Beijing has embraced a strategy that seeks to corner, isolate and punish Taiwan for its intransigence on the unification question.
Although many would ascribe that change in attitude to the 2016 elections and blame the Tsai administration’s refusal to acknowledge the so-called “1992 consensus” for the souring relations, this reckoning actually occurred earlier – two years earlier, in 2014, when the Sunflower student movement derailed the partial rapprochement that had prevailed since 2008 under former president Ma Ying-jeou of the Kuomintang. More than an incident over a particular trade agreement, the movement epitomised a society’s refusal to associate too closely with authoritarian China, a reality that not only contributed to Tsai’s victory but also to the KMT’s dismissal of its initial candidate for the presidency, who was regarded as too ideologically close to Beijing – even for the blue camp’s taste.
Unwilling to acknowledge this fact (at least publicly), the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has conveniently attributed the downturn in relations to Tsai, her DPP and the deadlock on the “1992 consensus”. It has constantly depicted them as a reckless minority in Taiwan, a posse of extremists who refuse to embrace what Chinese President Xi Jinping has described as “historical trends” and the “coordinates of history”.
Xi and his top cadres probably know better. But they cannot admit it, as this would confirm the fact that Beijing’s Taiwan strategy over the years, especially under Xi, has miscarried. Not only have the sticks and carrots failed, closer contact in fact pushed the Taiwanese in the
(Excerpt) Read more at scmp.com ...
China is many very bad things...but not stupid.
NOT stupid enough to invade Taiwan. Whilst Trump is president anyway.
2nd Trump term, he recognizes Taiwan as a sovereign nation. Exposes China’s impotence to do anything about it.
“The principal problem is Taiwan...”
The principal problem is the gong fei and their irrational ludicrous claim to Taiwan.
What CCP & PRC need is another Jimmy Carter to seal the deal.
Taiwan is relying on its nuclear arsenal.
It is no longer even pretending that won’t be deployed immediately.
Taiwan charge an average 7.5% import duty on our exports to them. This needs to change.
It would appear that you're failing to understand what most of the world understands all too well...China will absorb Taiwan,with or without actual violence,at a time of its choosing...and there's not a damn thing that the civilized world can do to stop it.
I will never go there and spend one penny of my hard earned cash supporting a commie government
Try reading the article first. This is about how Taiwan is giving the Mainland heartburn because the citizens are not enamored at giving the Mainland control.
“China is many very bad things...but not stupid.”
Currently, China lacks the ability to project power across the Strait. They can not as yet control the air space and lack the ability to deploy troops to Taiwan and hold. But, they’re working on it, very hard.
In 1978 and 1979 in the ocean off South Africa, Taiwan, S. Korea and S. Africa (fill in the blank):
Taiwan was test detonating them during Reagan’s first term, and Reagan negotiated (probably by providing tested designs) with them to stop rattling the mainland’s chain. I was stationed in Okinawa at the time, so this news was likely more in my focus than it would have been for people stateside.
Like Israel, Taiwan hasn’t rattled it’s nuclear saber aggressively, and seldom acknowledges that it is there. Nonetheless, that nuclear arsenal kept Taiwan in existence during the Clinton and Obama presidencies
Only if Taiwan desires that.
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