‘Reunification by force’ sentiment provoked
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Taiwan secessionist forces have provoked a growing sentiment in the Chinese mainland of reunifying with the island of Taiwan by military force, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said on Wednesday.
The DPP and Taiwan secessionist forces should reflect on why voices are increasing for military force among mainland residents in recent years, Ma Xiaoguang said at a press conference on Wednesday.
Chinese mainland analysts said more people in the mainland are losing faith in peaceful reunification because they believe previous mainland policies of delivering economic benefits to Taiwan went unappreciated. With the fastgrowing strength of the mainland, especially its overwhelming military power, more and more mainlanders hope the government considers a non-peaceful option, experts said.
They believe reunification by force could resolve the Taiwan question in a more effective and efficient way, the experts said.
Ma’s statement came on the same day as Taiwan’s “anti-infiltration law” went into force.
It was “an absolute evil law that suppresses Taiwan compatriots’ free will and strips them of their right to cross-Straits exchanges,” Ma said.
“Peace is precious. Everyone yearns for peace and Chinese people should not fight Chinese people...But first, [Taiwan] should recognize that we are of the same family.”
Li Xiaobing, an expert on Taiwan studies at Nankai University in Tianjin, said “The Chinese mainland government has always made great efforts to keep educating the fact to people that people in Taiwan are compatriots, to create conditions for cross-Straits cooperation and peaceful exchanges, but the Taiwan authorities didn’t do this in the same way.”
After reading Taiwan media and social media networks, many mainland people were shocked at the hostile and insulting messages against the mainland, said experts.
With the pro-independence DPP continually winning elections, more and more mainland people are losing faith in peaceful reunification and begin to oppose the policy of delivering economic benefits to Taiwan. Asked if mainland residents’ self-guided travel to Taiwan could resume, Ma said travel was allowed “under the condition of peaceful and stable cross-Straits relations. We hope to see the relations return to the right track.”
The People’s Liberation Army was once unable to reunify Taiwan without serious casualties, especially when the US was involved in 1995-96, the mainland experts said.
But now the mainland’s military strength is increasingly mature and the advantage is more and more overwhelming, they noted.
Editor’s Note:
Taiwan regional election concluded Saturday with Tsai Ing-wen being re-elected the leader of the island. How should Beijing ensure the “one-China” principle is upheld and continue to hold the initiative in guiding cross-Straits relations? The Global Times (GT) invited mainland expert Wang Zaixi (Wang), former deputy director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, and Douglas Paal (Paal), vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace of the US, to comment on these issues.
GT: How do you think future cross-Straits ties would develop?
Wang: Tsai’s re-election means the relationship across the straits would be fully caught in a stalemate. There is no more possibility in the upcoming four years to improve it. The Chinese mainland and Taiwan would go through a period of cold confrontation.
Since Tsai represents the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), she will govern the island according to DPP’s guidelines, which include promoting Taiwan secession. During her first term in office, Tsai refused to acknowledge the 1992 Consensus or the “one-China” principle. She will hardly change her stance after winning the second term.
But I don’t think the two sides across the straits would head toward a showdown. China’s reunification is a long process yet the initiative is in the hands of the Chinese mainland. Be it the size of land, population, GDP, military or technological strength, Taiwan and the Chinese mainland are not on the same level.
Even if Tsai won’t give up her pro-secession banner and I assume she will continue to promote “de-sinicization,” striving to lead Taiwan further away from the mainland, she does not dare to do so too fast or too unscrupulously, given the Anti-Secession Law and the bottom lines included in it. That’s why in her press conference after the re-election, she emphasized, “my commitment to peaceful, stable cross-Straits relations remains unchanged.” Her dream is to promote Taiwan secession under stable ties with the mainland one small step at a time. In doing so hastily, she will meet the fate of her predecessor Chen Shui-bian.
Therefore, cross-Straits relations can hardly be improved, but Tsai dare not go too far.
GT: Some observers have been lately describing cross-Straits ties with the word “decouple,” which is often used to talk about recent China-US relations. Do you think there is any chance of decoupling between the two sides?
Wang: Relations between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, and ties between China and the US, are completely different in nature. Although the two sides across the Taiwan Straits have not realized reunification in over 70 years, this has not changed a bit the fact that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China.
That being said, there is no way for the two sides across the Straits to decouple. Regardless of which party is in power, be it the DPP or the Kuomintang (KMT), the leader would face the same issue. The island of Taiwan cannot leave the mainland. Then why there are still many people on the island who are clamoring for Taiwan secession? This is because the DPP’s strategy has been demonizing the Chinese mainland and the Communist Party of China to win more votes. It has been hyping up that Taiwan will have no democracy or freedom after reunification, making young Taiwan people afraid of the mainland. Unfortunately, radical protests broke out in Hong Kong before the Taiwan election, which have later been utilized by the DPP.
It is undeniable that the young people of Taiwan are having a weakening sentiment over the Chinese nation. It is not the young people to be blamed. Over the past two decades, Taiwan’s textbooks have completely become pro-secession materials, which define China as a foreign country, poetry of the Tang and Song Dynasty as foreign literature.
Tsai knows she cannot realize political secession or de facto secession, so she is now promoting cultural secession.
GT: How should the Chinese mainland cope with the situation in Taiwan? Wang: To begin with, we can explore the potential of using the internet such as WeMedia in this regard, to clarify the consequences of Taiwan secession as well as long-term benefits that reunification can bring to Taiwan people.
Second, close contacts are needed, especially people-to-people exchanges. We should provide more chances for young Taiwan people to study, get medical treatment, and find jobs on the mainland and opportunities for mainlanders to visit Taiwan.
Third, Chinese culture is an important link between compatriots on both sides of the straits. I have noticed that pro-secession forces have been thinking hard about ways to realize Taiwan secession culturally. We should now consider how to carry forward and promote Chinese culture on the island.
Fourth, economic integration is vital. When economic interests across the straits are inextricably interwoven with each other, secession will become more difficult.
Fifth, military deterrence against pro-secession forces in Taiwan is necessary. In recent years, we often witness aircraft carriers passing through the straits and fighter jets flying around the island. I think this is helpful. It can warn and prevent the Taiwan separatists from going too far.
GT: On Chinese internet, the voices supporting reunification through military means are on the rise. What do you think about this option against the current backdrop?
Wang: Late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping once noted, China adheres to seeking the solution to the Taiwan question by peaceful means, but it has never given up the possibility of using non-peaceful means, China cannot make such a commitment. Later, Deng’s philosophy was more frequently summarized into “peaceful reunification,” while not giving up the use of force was mentioned relatively rarely for some time.
Peaceful reunification is a goal China has been striving for. It is an option, but not the only option. Peaceful reunification requires coordination from both sides. Yet the DPP refuses to even recognize the “one-China” principle, then how can it possibly negotiate with the Chinese mainland over peaceful reunification?
There is a worrying trend in Taiwan today. Pro-secession forces have grown stronger and have become the ruling party from being an opposition force. Under such circumstances, while adhering to the policy of peaceful reunification, China must also be prepared to resolve this issue through non-peaceful means as a last resort. This is the reason why China made the Anti-Secession Law.
GT: Some Chinese netizens think previous mainland’s preferential policies toward Taiwan proved to be inefficient in winning the hearts of the people of Taiwan. Do you think those policies should continue?
Wang: Those policies have to be continued. The attempt to win the hearts and minds of people should not be treated as utilitarian business.
Uniting people and gaining support is supposed to be the Communist Party of China’s special skill. But in Taiwan, the skill has not been efficient.
I think we need to reflect on, adjust our methods and mind-set, and not to give up just because the work is difficult.