The president of Taiwan was elected with a minority of votes because the two opposition parties that support closer relations with the PRC could not agree on a joint candidate to run. In the Taiwanese legislature the KMT actually holds more seats than the president’s party.
Also the PRC is not threatening Taiwan with annihilation. That’s just absurd. The PRC’s position is that it doesn’t want foreign countries interfering in Chinese political matters. If you didn’t know already, the US intervened in the Chinese civil war in order to defend a fascist dictator and has continued to give the RoC military support ever since. The PRC keeps the military option open as a deterrent against further US intervention not because it’s planning to invade.
Cowbee@lemmy.ml 3 weeks ago
Taiwan is governed by the remnants of the former Chinese government, back when they were nationalists. Chiang Kai-Shek and his group fled to Taiwan, murdered the local opposition, and claimed they were still the legitimate government of all of China. The question isn’t if Taiwan is a part of China, but which government is legitimate.
Over time, this has been complicated by the US Empire using Taiwan as a forward operating base. Some want a clean break, some want further integration, but now the majority want the status quo. What is deeply unpopular is war. Taiwan does not want to become Ukraine 2, they do not want the US Empire to provoke a hot war just to damage China at the expense of Taiwanese people.
The CPC in all of this knows that the US Empire is failing, and that Taiwan will be increasingly pressured economically towards reintegration. All they need to do is wait, and they get what they want without firing a shot.
starelfsc2@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
None of this is false but that doesn’t mean China isn’t threatening military action and waiting for their chance to strike. Being peaceful with the threat of force is not the same as just being peaceful, if a mobster says “pay me off if you don’t want any trouble” they’re not peacefully negotiating. To be honest I’m surprised they haven’t taken more action against Taiwan, when trump would probably say “it’s their country, it’s their territory, its rightfully theirs.”
Cowbee@lemmy.ml 3 weeks ago
Both governments consider themselves the legitimate governments of China, which includes Taiwan. Wanting to become an independent country entirely is a minority opinion in Taiwan. As such, the PRC as a sovereign nation of course will reserve the right to retake its own territory by force. It isn’t at all surprising that they haven’t taken more direct millitant action against Taiwan, though, for precisely the reasons I have said: they are willing to wait until Taiwan chooses to reunify. They gain nothing by striking Taiwan to take it by force, when they can just maintain the status quo until it works out in their favor.
The reason it’s surprising to you is that you have the assumption that the PRC feels compelled to strike. This is something constantly fearmongered about by the west, but doesn’t actually hold water. By all measures, events seem to be moving in the exact direction the PRC predicts they will, which would make it a mistake to strike Taiwan.
starelfsc2@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
That’s surprising they would wait when almost all Taiwanese people do not want to rejoin China. business-standard.com/…/over-80-of-taiwanese-favo…
This seems to support the idea that they are afraid China will take military action against them. Even this article states that the reason many do not want an independent country is for fear of retaliation by China.
I suppose we’ll see if you’re right about China not attacking Taiwan, and I have friends there so I really do hope you’re right.