Yes, no reason why not, some people are too distrustful of China
Yes, if a satisfactory Taiwan autonomy agreement is reached first
It isn’t possible to know the situation four years from now
That could never happen on Taiwan’s terms
Taiwan’s identity is strong enough to resist the possibility
No way in hell - China would have to bomb us first
0voters
An August 20th press release from research agency TNS Taiwan entitled “Most Taiwanese disagree Taiwan has home field advantage in the 2008 Beijing Olympics - A study of over 26,000 Internet users reveals that a majority of Taiwanese feel their athletes are playing away from home” says that “most Taiwanese do not feel their athletes are on home field competing in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing… …68% of 26,435 internet users polled responded negatively to the question, “Do you feel Taiwan is on home field competing in the Beijing Olympic Games?” Only 13% responded positively, with 19% saying they didn’t know.”
One of the people responding to that post says “it is rather pity…but this is the result of a “Straits Wall” similar to Berlin Wall which separate a people… What to expect… Anyway I was thinking maybe next time China and Taiwan can join together in one delegation, like how NKorea and SKorea did it under a united flag and name… Something can be thought for China-Taiwan… I hope maybe next time, perhaps in 2012.”
Four years from now? China and Taiwan under a united flag? Unfounded nightmare or possibility?
Not impossible, but a lot has to happen before that happens.
Based on the “Jia You” cheers for Taiwanese athletes, I would think that the Taiwanese had home crowd support. That didn’t prevent them from sucking most of the time, though.
It seems most Taiwanese don’t feel their athletes are at home in China, whatever the reception. A parallel can be drawn to Canada, where independence-minded Quebecois, to whose sense of self-determination Canadians elsewhere wanting to embrace and support them are quite irrelevant. They cheer for French-Canadian hockey players competing for Canada in the Winter Olympics, but any gratification they enjoy from the success of their heroes stems not an iota from any glory they might bring Canada.
Sure, the Chinese can cheer “jia you” for Taiwanese athletes - but if the Taiwanese athletes did excel, would the citizens of Taiwan get good feelings from doing China proud? …I should think (and hope) not.
Come on its just like Scotland. They want independence but we still cheer for them whenever they play sport…they just don’t cheer for us. Infact isn’t it EXACTLY like Scotland?
Umm not really. A better comparison would be the UK and the Irish Free State post 1945 if the UK threatened to invade should de Valera declare de jure independence. Which they didn’t do. de Valera talked about Ireland being a Republic and the UK ignored him. He then passed an act in the Irish Parliament to implement this and after sulking for a year the UK recognized the new state.
Scotland is different because they UK managed to devolve power fast enough to head off a move to de jure independence. Also they didn’t send in the troops or even threaten to do so. So the net result is that most Scots probably consider themselves independent and most English people probably consider them part of the UK, hence the cheering paradox.
I think the Irish Free State only lasted from 1922-1937. Wasn’t it called the Republic of Ireland or something by the time Eamon de Valera became the world’s only head of state to offer condolences to the German people for the death of Adolf Hitler? What you’re probably referring to is the period involving the 1919 de facto Southern Ireland, the 1920 de jure Southern Ireland, and the Irish Free State that effectively replaced them after the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1922.
But you write if… did they really threaten to do so? And how was the sociopolitical environment for Irish Olympic athletes in that crazy decade after 1916? Sounds like turmoil far more complicated than for Taiwanese athletes today!
I think the Irish Free State only lasted from 1922-1937. Wasn’t it called the Republic of Ireland or something by the time Eamon de Valera became the world’s only head of state to offer condolences to the German people for the death of Adolf Hitler? What you’re probably referring to is the period involving the 1919 de facto Southern Ireland, the 1920 de jure Southern Ireland, and the Irish Free State that effectively replaced them after the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1922.
But you write if… did they really threaten to do so? And how was the sociopolitical environment for Irish Olympic athletes in that crazy decade after 1916? Sounds like turmoil far more complicated than for Taiwanese athletes today![/quote]
Ireland wasn’t a republic until 1948, it was still technically part of the UK and the English King was head of state. But you’re right, it was called Ireland after 1937. So de Valera wasn’t an international recognized head of state when he sent condolences to Germany. You’re right in the implication that he was a nasty piece of work from what I’ve read.
Actually I think if the UK hadn’t of misruled Ireland so spectacularly in the past it would probably still be part of the UK but autonomous like Scotland is. Misrule aside, I think the UK’s handling of the Irish declaration of independence in 1949 was exemplary.
Essentially my argument is that Ireland pre 1948 was in a Taiwan like situation of de facto but not de jure independence.
“Essentially my argument is that Ireland pre 1948 was in a Taiwan like situation of de facto but not de jure independence.”
Right - with a twist of impending invasion
It seems to me that Hu Jintao claimed Taiwan to enjoy home advantage in a cover-up of decades of political failure. The Chinese press has been painting Taiwan as the bad boy for a long time. Diametrically opposed to Taiwan’s developments in human rights, democratization, freedom of the press, freedom of speech, etc., China’s been hanging in there with excessive curtailment of human rights, totalitarianism, censorship of the press and the Internet, etc. Add to that China’s way under-reported buildup of their military, particularly as it could be unleashed against Taiwan, and is it any wonder Taiwan’s citizens take Hu’s co-option of Taiwan’s athletes with a huge grain of salt? When it comes right down to it, the Chicoms have done everything they could possibly have done wrong were it ever their plan to endear Taiwan to the cause of unification. I see Hu’s embracing of Taiwan’s athletes as a grotesque gesture of denial.
I think that once Taiwan and China join together in one olympics delegation, it will be the beginning of the end for Taiwan. In the case of North and South Korea there was and is a vast difference: there is not such a significant difference in performance at the olympics, and there is not such an obvious difference in global power (military or politically). Although South Korea enjoys international support, it’s not a situation with such a clear dominant party as there is in China vs. Taiwan.
Hence, the only way this would happen would be under the Chinese flag, and then Taiwan would add what, a handful of silver and bronze medals? To China’s tally of 100+ medals, half of which gold? North and South Korea both bring gold to the table, at least. It would be an enormous insult, and an implicit showing of Chinese power over Taiwan. If Taiwan competes independantly, at least they’re not competing with China directly.
Sounds like a Chinese conspiracy to me. They’re still behind the U.S. in silver and bronzes and the 4 extra medals would make a difference. If they get Taiwan I’m sure they’ll rig a way to get baseball back in, that way they’ll have a pitcher who throws hard and accurate enough to take out the entire team with concussions (what’s the good of just throwing at one guy’s head?), thus giving them a good shot at a medal.
Don’t you know that Taiwan seriously underperform in baseball during Olympics. Even China beat them this time.[/quote]
True, but then again, Taiwan still finished in fifth, which is the highest they would have realistically finished anyway given that South Korea went 8-0 and won the Gold.
