The Gen Z perspective on China and Taiwan

I STILL REMEMBER the first time I heard about the possibility of an invasion by China. I was SIX years old. I thought war was coming and hid in my bed, scared. After 18 years, the invasion news tastes like a sandwich I eat every morning. As a Gen Z Taiwanese student who has witnessed China’s harassment for more than 20 years, I want to share my opinion on China.

Every generation goes through different events. I have seen not only the norms of China’s constant presence, but also the Sunflower movement, wars and people fighting over peace or equality, things that are becoming more common internationally.

Combined with my education and media influence, I am “naturally independent” with a high awareness of human rights, democracy and freedom. I see my national identity as Taiwanese without any doubt or pressure; I am proud to be Taiwanese.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) sees every incident as an opportunity. After the incident of two Chinese fishermen drowning in waters around Kinmen, the China Coast Guard used “gray zone” tactics, saying it was entering prohibited waters around Kinmen to protect Chinese fishers. This is highly political, which fits the CCP’s wish: Salami-slicing its way to more territorial claims. Its behavior lacks transparency and diplomacy. The CCP is a cunning opponent; we skate on thin ice every time an incident happens, and we are careful with how we respond.

The CCP has insisted that “Taiwan should be a part of China” since 1949. China and Taiwan have an abundance of shared history, culture, art and precious craftsmanship. These valued treasures are bequeathed by their ancestors. Why do we choose to inherit a grudge from the past, instead of those disappearing crafts that no one has an interest in passing down to the next generation?

Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) says that “Beijing reserves the right to use military force to bring Taiwan into the fold,” a sentence that has the power to affect countless people’s lives. Sometimes I feel it is unfair. Why do I have to carry these negative feelings from an experience that I never had, suffering under the fear of war and of losing my family, friends and way of life?

So, what do we want? Noninterference like before, “one country two systems”? Maybe it would be nice to go back to the time when we traded peacefully with silence and acquiescence, but with the ambition of Xi and our next president, William Lai (賴清德), I do not think this can happen. This year might be the sticking point for Taiwan. There is a high chance China might attack, but after seeing how wars can change a society into a painful and vulnerable place, I believe no one wants it to happen, or to see Taiwan no longer have the human rights we should have.

I heard an elderly person criticize Gen Z for being too weak to fight. Having an awareness of human rights, democracy and freedom does not mean we do not want to defend our beautiful island. We believe there might be other ways that are more civilized or peaceful to do so, instead of people losing their homes and families, and living in fear. It is just that so far we do not know what exactly it is we can do. I guess we could leave the issue to our future selves. We are not yet ready, but we have been keeping our eyes on every little piece of clues, because we want to fix the problem so this generation is the last to suffer, giving future generations a peaceful society.

Rather than holding a grudge, I prefer to pass down the appreciation of lives, the gratitude of knowledge and openness to my children. It makes no sense to allow future generations to be caught forever in this loop.

Huang Chieh-hsuan is a student in the Department of International Affairs at Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages.