gambit
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There is -- let Taiwan, Korea, and Japan go....let's hope there is a peaceful way to resolve this conflict ..
North Korea is pure geopolitics. But Taiwan is geopolitics and face. The KMT effectively dropped its claim on mainland China despite its official name of 'Republic of China'. This put China in a bind because competing claims to the political and cultural entity known for thousands of yrs as 'China' has been China's main reason for animosity against the island. This also give cover to the companion plan for using Taiwan as a major geopolitical sea lanes choke point in Asia with focus on JPN and SKR as targets.
Since Taiwan had effectively dropped its claim to mainland China, that leave geopolitics as the only reason why China want the island. With Taiwan, China will have all of Korea under direct Chinese control and JPN under constant pressure in the long term. Do not even for a moment think that SKR and JPN are ignorant of their vulnerabilities.
Culturally speaking, a 'Republic of Taiwan' is just meaningless to China as the label 'Republic of China'. Taiwanese do not see themselves as Chinese just like ethnic Chinese Singaporeans do not see themselves as Chinese. So all the arguments from the Chinese members of this forum about how 'Chinese' are the Taiwanese are empty rhetoric. Ethnic Chinese Americans in the US do not consider themselves Chinese in the China sense. Same for ethnic Chinese in the southern American countries.
If Taiwan officially declare independence, what would that do to the 1979 US acknowledgement that there is only 'one China and Taiwan is part of China' ? Nothing. The US cannot force Taiwan to remain within China's political sphere. If Catalonia successfully separated from Spain, what can the US do ? Nothing. Eventually, there will be a new recognized UN member call 'Catalonia'.
The Chinese members on this forum have no problems telling everyone that every people deserves independence in all forms if so desired. But Taiwan is the exception to what they insists, never mind that as evident by the islanders' sentiment, their 'Chinese-ness' have declined over the yrs. How is YOUR Pakistani identity ?
This is not about Taiwan but about what China really want: Taiwan, Korea, and Japan.