Why Aren't We Worried about Today's China-Taiwan News?

I haven’t seen a single thread devoted to today’s China-Taiwan conflict headlines.

They are all over the news, e.g.:

http://news.yahoo.com/fc?tmpl=fc&cid=34&in=world&cat=taiwan
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20031119/wl_nm/china_taiwan_dc_1

I’m not worried a bit, but I will undoutedly receive a number of e-mails tonight from concerned family and friends back home.

I’m not one to worry about much, but I’m wondering how long we’ve got before things take a turn for the worse.

What do you all think? Are you concerned, or is this just same old-same old?

(Please merge this if there is in fact a thread discussing this that I’ve missed).

T.

Same old, same old

The only interesting bit is that China has still not been able to figure out that this is exactly the kind of rhetoric Chen Shui-bian is hoping for. The more China blusters, the more votes the DPP will get. As one conservative columnist put it the other day, China is Chen’s biggest campaign booster.

The really big news is that Blue camp has given up and agreed to accept not only a referendum law, but also a new Constitution including legislative reform. China had been thinking it could count on the Blue camp, but electoral realities have forced the KMT into adopting the DPP’s policies and jettisoning its One China policy. The new reality that China will have to face is that none of Taiwan’s parties are going to serve as Beijing’s proxies. Things are getting interesting…

Viva la Republica!

How is that?
According to Lien Chan, a vote for the “pan-blue alliance” is a vote for peace; a vote for the DPP is a vote for war (with the mainland, one assumes).
The “pan-blue alliance” advocates unification; the “pan-green” camp sovereignty. Mainland China is saber-rattling over the idea of independence, not unification.
Would not votes shun the party that could lead them to war with mainland China?

it’s all political PR vote manipulation for the media. China will never attack. Done deal.

[quote=“formosa”]it’s all political PR vote manipulation for the media. China will never attack. Done deal.[/quote]You also said we we’re all going to die from SARS. Does this mean attack is less likely that SARS ? Or you’re always wrong and attack is inevitable ? :?

God help me if I’m wrong on this one!

The “pan-blue alliance” advocates unification; the “pan-green” camp sovereignty. Mainland China is saber-rattling over the idea of independence, not unification.
Would not votes shun the party that could lead them to war with mainland China?[/quote]

To my mind, most Taiwanese fear unification more than China’s tired old lines. If the leadership of the KMT make the coming election about the status of Taiwan, they will once again find themselves dodging rotten fruit at the corner of Chungshan Road.

I hope you are right, but remember the figures for last election. Chen won with only a shade over 38 percent of the vote. Soong nearly beat him and with Sad Sack holding the pan-blue flag, Chen simply doesn’t have the numbers. But as I say, it’s his to lose.

It’s a fascinating topic about which I feel particularly ZZZ

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The free, democratic world should cancel all trade, political and economical relationships with Communist Chine if they keep threatening a free democratic country this way. C…S… US, Pathetic EU and AUS should stand up to their basic democratic believes, not only the profit they can make of cheap products made of child labor, encouraged by the Chicoms.

On the other hand, the KMT should expell all their members communicating with or supporting “One China” , as they are supporting the “Comminist Pigs”. How can KMT keep up this charade? Do they really think they will get any significant position of power within the Communist dictatioral rule?

I don’t get it, and I hope the younger generation of Taiwanese can see trap their parents and granparents want to lead them into.
Let the people power speak, and fight for your freedom (and life) if those crasy Chicoms attack.

If the topic bores you, feel free not to post.

[quote]According to Lien Chan, a vote for the “pan-blue alliance” is a vote for peace; a vote for the DPP is a vote for war (with the mainland, one assumes).
The “pan-blue alliance” advocates unification; the “pan-green” camp sovereignty. Mainland China is saber-rattling over the idea of independence, not unification.
Would not votes shun the party that could lead them to war with mainland China?
[/quote]

No. There are two factors: the voters don’t like being threatened and the threat of an attack by China (trotted out by the KMT for years now) simply lacks credibility. In 1996 and again in 2000, threats by China translated into votes for candidates that voters perceived as being strongly pro-Taiwan

One and one do not simply make two. Neither Soong nor Lien will get as many votes as they did last time. Soong has been out of power for nearly five years. Since most of Soong’s power base was built on his ability to hand out the pork to Taiwan’s local factions, his ability to get votes is waning as the the DPP uses the same tactics to win over his former supporters.

Lien will be even worse off. In the last election, Lien had the nominal support of Lee Teng-hui. Now he doesn’t. The KMT is split between pro-China and pro-Taiwan factions. The pro-Taiwan faction knows that they will lose votes unless they appeal to local voters. Hence the KMT’s caving in on the referendum and constitution issues and now the proposals to change the paty’s name to the Taiwan Nationalist party.

For all it’s worth I am not worried. So far it’s words only and nothing really new. Unless there is some indication that China is preparing an attack I think it’s all scare-tactics. Then again China might just wait for the right time, most likely when they will have completed their missile build-up along the coast. That’s when things might start to get more serious and no matter interference from the US, the EU or anyone else - god forbid, but once they push the button it’s too late and no-one can stop all those missiles …

Isn’t it all sabre-rattling and posturing that we’ve seen for decades now. Hence the fact it gets ignored by many.

And he also says he’s in Korea … :unamused: