We’re helping Taiwan reclaim us back. We just built a cool landing craft to help them make it more efficient.

I can see that propaganda line working!

This is a list of countries that have a full diplomatic relationship with Taiwan. Other countries may have varying degrees on recognition of Taiwan

Belize

Eswatini

Guatemala

Haiti

Holy See (Vatican City)

Marshall Islands

Palau

Paraguay

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Lucia

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Tuvalu

it's a lost cause in 1960s, but not now

Not even Taiwan claims to be a separate country from China, legally they're the "Republic of China".

the last time i check it, it was 'relaim'

you can still see the word in the url

that's why i said 'weird', it's very abnormal for the economist, looks like someone had gone astray in his thinking, fortunately, it has now been corrected

Same for me, after an auto redirect.. (German IP) - maybe there is some shenanigans going on based on visitor location origin.

nah.

China built several -- several, like 8+ -- landing ships designed to support an amphibious assault. if soft power was their goal and primary method they wouldn't have spent the resources.

while they may not ever do it, a very direct, very violent invasion is absolutely on the table. Taiwan may only even be a secondary objective, since #1 would be sinking the US Navy and shifting the hegemonic balance; they'll get to Taiwan when they can after that.

what you said is how China planed before 2019, reality's development makes it impossible to act as previously planned, now, there's 0 chance that the CCP can take back Taiwan without bombs

however, it really depends on the definitions of 'reclaim' and 'win'

China's purpose is not only to take the land, but also to 'reunite' taiwanese people, so you're right about they are going to need to use soft power to achieve this, so yes, it will not be like what the US did to Hawaii and Iraq

btw, I briefly looked through the book you mentioned and was surprised to find that, compared to other Westerners, the author has a very good understanding of China's war history and philosophy. Although it is somewhat one-sided, Chinese military philosophy is very different before and after the Han Dynasty

Arguing for border changes based on history can justify any border change. It's not functionally any different from "might makes right" because the invaded is unlikely to agree with that historical interpretation, nor are outside observers.

If you have a reason based system for determining what is right or wrong, then you would have to look at what the citizens in Taiwan want otherwise you are violating people who committed no crimes against China and are experiencing threats to their way of life.

You are literally talking about killing people for their land.

You're on a forum that's largely American. Read the declaration of independence and see if it's confusing to you why an American would want to help Taiwan. The french helped us with our own independence. By the same logic America still belongs to the British. Any papers involved may as well just be "historical documents that no longer have any practical significance."

Like many other islands in the Pacific, Taiwan was mostly inhabited by Austronesian speakers until the arrival of European colonizers. In 1624, the Dutch East India company set up a colony on Taiwan (then called Formosa) as an outpost for trade with the Ming dynasty, encouraging Chinese workers to immigrate. At the time, the Ming were under pressure from the Jurchens (later Manchus), who ended up conquering China and establishing the Qing dynasty. In 1662, Ming remnants fleeing the mainland defeated the Dutch and conquered the island, subsequently being defeated and conquered in turn by the Qing in 1684. And in 1895 Taiwan was seized by Japan.

That's barely more than 200 years of being tied to the mainland, nowhere close to 5000.

If you go by duration of historical possession, Taiwan would have to be ruled by a minority aristocracy of indigenous peoples, about 3% of the population.

And furthermore, the government on Taiwan (ROC) is the one that lost the civil war for China. They still claim all of China as their territory (and actually a bit more than the PRC). Even the US officially accepts Taiwan is a part of China.

Majority public opinion in Taiwan is still that it’s a part of China (however that is defined), although that is slowly changing.

From the CCP's standpoint. Both ROC and CCP claim to be the legitimate governors of "China".

From the Taiwanese standpoint, mainland China is theirs.

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You seem unaware that both of those countries simultaneously claim to be China. It’s a bit of a thorny problem!

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