Your absolutely right. Pity it won’t go the other way.
My SME, as well as my families’ business’s stand to do very well financially with a takeover, but, I wouldn’t want to live here after that. First the super highway comes in, and then it is high rises and concrete coffins from DaWu to Hualian.
The rift valley would become a silicon valley, Bye-bye clean water, uncontaminated fruit and veggies, and who the fuck would want to eat the rice anymore.
Forget surfing, might as well go swimming in a sewer, it would be cleaner.
Unification, not re.
But yes there would not be a complete turnaround, but Taiwan would lose the capacity to influence China as an example of what a Chinese society can be. The lesson Chinese would take is that their country is great the way it is, and even those who are free are wiling to take a hit to that freedom to be part of what they have. The CCP would milk that bit of propoganda for all it’s worth and another generation would go by without the need for reform. After all, why change when the taiwanese have already provided the example that democracy and freedom are not the way for Chinese people?
[quote=“sandman”][quote=“BigJohn”]
I never said that things would or wouldn’t change here if it became an SAR. I said that there is a difference between the people in the PRC and those in the ROC. Are you disagreeing with this?[/quote]
Yes. The gubmint over there are venal corrupt fools. As is the one over here. You’re very welcome to believe otherwise if you like – YOU FOOL!!! :roflmao:
As for the people, they’re also the exact same, except with a few years of development difference. If you believe otherwise, then… you believe otherwise. Not me, though.[/quote]
I see, so it doesn’t matter to what extent they are corrupt then, to you?
Well, you are showing your extreme ignorance of the differences between Taiwan and China.
But what should one expect from an Englishman who wears a kilt?
Not when the extent is “total,” no. Not really.
[quote=“Mawvellous”]
Well that’s why the KMT has such an electoral advantage now. Surprised you think that’s a “good” thing based on what you said earlier.
Still the president can still do quite a lot without legislative support. The reforms under Lee Teng-hui made the presidency very powerful.[/quote]
Yes, and the LY rolled back a lot of those changes. Less legislators is a good thing. There are still too many of these vile creatures now, considering the size of the population.
[quote]
Even if they were “pushing an annexation agenda behind the scenes” (which there is no actual evidence for)…
[/quote]So you’d characterize KMT’s CSB-era ‘private’ talks in China and the ECFA negotiation process as open would you? 
[quote]
Yes that is the ambiguity of the American position. Still it has successfully maintained the “status-quo” for the last 60 years.[/quote]
If you think the power balance across the Strait hasn’t changed in sixty years I have to ask, under which rock have you been all this time?
[quote]
No, Ma has already promised he won’t do that. I am sure he would not have made that promise if he had other hidden intentions. [/quote]
I have some nice land in Florida and a bridge in London you might be interested in. Good little earner. PM me for details. :loco:
[quote]
So the minor officials you met didn’t tell you anything? And the normal people you met regaled you with the official line that Taiwan is a part of China that must be liberated? Not very insightful…[/quote]
OK. I knew I shouldn’t have given you the time of day in the first place but this has gone far enough. I’m not interested in discussing this any further with you as no good is going to come of it and it’s gotten boring.
There was a bunch of Chinese toursits at Taipei 101 today. They seemed just like Taiwanese people except a whole hell of a lot LOUDER! Holy fuck man. Zillions of them too. The Falung Gong set up a promotion and was pushing pamphlets in everybody’s face. Scary.
[quote=“redwagon”]
OK. I knew I shouldn’t have given you the time of day in the first place but this has gone far enough. I’m not interested in discussing this any further with you as no good is going to come of it and it’s gotten boring.
[/quote]
Let’s see what happens. If Taiwan is “annexed” in the next six years and people start disappearing in the middle of the night, then we all should have listened to your warnings. I just don’t think it is going to happen.
Unfortunately your aggressive posting style doesn’t allow for any sensible exchange of views.
Not when the extent is “total,” no. Not really.[/quote]
Well, I guess I’m not going to make you less cynical by arguing with you, am I? Tell you what: next time we meet face to face, I’ll give you a big Rainbow Family hug, and a good “ohm”-ing. That’ll help you see the light!
Obviously it would be unification with the PRC. Reunification if we remember that China and Taiwan were unified before 1895 and then again between 1945 and 1949. So I think both terms are acceptable.
Yes, I basically agree with that. It is also not far from the government position.
Ma has said that the reunification will not happen until China democratizes. It is only one of Taiwan’s choices for the future, and is unlikely to happen in the near future. He has already ruled it out for this term in office and his next term in office. Any move that surrendered ROC sovereignty would also require a referendum.
In the meantime, Taiwan can be an example to the PRC of what a Chinese society can achieve in terms of democratic progress.
You guys make me wanna get my stuff and migrate to Canada immediately.
Obviously it would be unification with the PRC. Reunification if we remember that China and Taiwan were unified before 1895 and then again between 1945 and 1949. So I think both terms are acceptable.
Yes, I basically agree with that. It is also not far from the government position.
Ma has said that the reunification will not happen until China democratizes. It is only one of Taiwan’s choices for the future, and is unlikely to happen in the near future. He has already ruled it out for this term in office and his next term in office. Any move that surrendered ROC sovereignty would also require a referendum.
In the meantime, Taiwan can be an example to the PRC of what a Chinese society can achieve in terms of democratic progress.[/quote]
Both terms are not at all acceptable as you state clearly that it would be unification with the PRC. Sorry, but you’re just falling for the 5000 years of blah blah blah.
True story but on my recent travels in China I met a reporter who was trying to claim that North American natives were Chinese because they had obviously come from here originally.
Not everythign that was once connected with the various empires that ruled the land that is commonly called China, and not all the land that was once ruled by these various empires can legitimately be called China, and conflated with the modern PRC.
Interestingly, not even Beijing refers to “reunification” in Mandarin. It’s always “unification”.
Interestingly, not even Beijing refers to “reunification” in Mandarin. It’s always “unification”.[/quote]
Yes, and of course there was no unification between 1945 and 1949. Taiwan was japanese territory. Marvelous, don’t make me pull out Hartzell on you. 
They always refer to “retrocession day”, for example -when supposedly Japan gave Taiwan back to China.
Interestingly, not even Beijing refers to “reunification” in Mandarin. It’s always “unification”.[/quote]
Yes, and of course there was no unification between 1945 and 1949. Taiwan was japanese territory. Marvelous, don’t make me pull out Hartzell on you. [/quote]
OH NO NOT TEH HARTZELL 
Interestingly, not even Beijing refers to “reunification” in Mandarin. It’s always “unification”.[/quote]
Yes, and of course there was no unification between 1945 and 1949. Taiwan was japanese territory. Marvelous, don’t make me pull out Hartzell on you. [/quote]
OH NO NOT TEH HARTZELL [/quote]
I can haz US passport?
“Johnny Adogah”??
:no-no:
Excuse me, but I believe the preferred nomenclature is “Joe Bag of Sour Cream”…
[quote=“Mucha Man”]
True story but on my recent travels in China I met a reporter who was trying to claim that North American natives were Chinese because they had obviously come from here originally. [/quote]
Didn’t the native Americans migrate by walking across the Bering Strait. Maybe they really were Sons of the Yellow Emperor.
Yes of course. To be precise, China and Taiwan were both part of the Qing Empire before 1895, and then part of the Republic of China between 1945-1949. If they both became part of the same sovereign entity again, then we could say they “reunified”.
And now Taiwan is “occupied territory of the USMG”! Although the occupying military have not been seen for at least 30 years… 
[quote=“Mawvellous”][quote=“Mucha Man”]
True story but on my recent travels in China I met a reporter who was trying to claim that North American natives were Chinese because they had obviously come from here originally. [/quote]
Didn’t the native Americans migrate by walking across the Bering Strait. Maybe they really were Sons of the Yellow Emperor.
[/quote]
All Chinese are East Africans, in that case. Ha: that’ll put a nice firecracker right up the ass of their racial purity ideals! Damn fascists.
[quote=“urodacus”][quote=“Mawvellous”][quote=“Mucha Man”]
True story but on my recent travels in China I met a reporter who was trying to claim that North American natives were Chinese because they had obviously come from here originally. [/quote]
Didn’t the native Americans migrate by walking across the Bering Strait. Maybe they really were Sons of the Yellow Emperor.
[/quote]
All Chinese are East Africans, in that case. Ha: that’ll put a nice firecracker right up the ass of their racial purity ideals! Damn fascists.[/quote]
Yes, I did let him that if he wanted to believe native americans are chinese then he had to believe that he himself was african. I got no response from that.
Actually the sad thing is that this fellow is a very nice man, educated, progressive in many ways (doesn’t spit or litter, is kind to animals) and in any other country would be a force for good.