Hypocrite young students who are probably still living under government allowance and family support, things will get real for them once they step their feet into the job market.
And the poster I replied to said that Taiwan will be "formally" independent in the near-future. I guess I'm missing your point, or you have missed ours.
Excellent summary. I disagree with the characterization of the KMT though. Much of the KMT wants reunification (but on Taiwan's terms, meaning maintenance of democracy and the free-market), because many of the KMT and their descendants are mainlanders. The DPP is generally younger, has a larger basis with the aboriginal population, and largely consists of native Taiwanese.
Agreed, and that is what is a shame, in my opinion. These idealistic students think that eliminating the trade pact, and in general, looser ties with China, will somehow benefit them. Taiwan's economy has stagnated badly in recent years. Stories are commonplace about college, and even Masters students, moving back home with their parents, or working entry-level jobs in a different field than their study, for less than $1000 a month.
You must be new here. Cheetah have always claimed Taiwan is already a independent nation, even without declaring independence. :grin:
After de-recognition, the U.S. still maintain unofficial diplomatic relations with ROC through Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office; the current head of TECRO in Washington, D.C. is King Pu-tsung. The American Institute in Taiwan, a non-profit institute headquarters in the US soil under the laws of the District of Columbia in Arlington County, Virginia and serves as the semi-official, working-level US representation and AIT has branch offices in Taipei and Kaohsiung. The Chairman of AIT is Raymond Burghardt. Christopher J. Marut was appointed to be the new AIT Taipei Office Director in August 2012.[3][4] With the absence of diplomatic recognition, in the present state, US-ROC relations are formally guided by the service of enactment of Taiwan Relations Act by US Congress for the continuation of US-ROC relations after 1979. In 2013, Taiwan Policy Act of 2013 was raised and passed in House Committee on Foreign Affairs by the US Congress to update the condition of US-Taiwan relations. [5][6] U.S. commercial ties with Taiwan have been maintained and have expanded since 1979. Taiwan continues to enjoy Export-Import Bank financing, Overseas Private Investment Corporation guarantees, normal trade relations (NTR) status, and ready access to U.S. markets. In recent years, AIT commercial dealings with Taiwan have focused on expanding market access for American goods and services. AIT has been engaged in a series of trade discussions, which have focused on protection of intellectual property rights and market access for U.S. goods and services. The United States has continued the sale of appropriate defensive military equipment to Taiwan in accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act, which provides for such sales and which declares that peace and stability in the area are in U.S. interests. Sales of defensive military equipment are also consistent with the 1982 U.S.-P.R.C. Joint Communiqué. On 24 August 2010, the United States State Department announced a change to commercial sales of military equipment in place of the previous high provide Foreign Military Sales in the hope of avoiding political implications.[8] However pressure from the PRC has continued and it seems unlikely that Taiwan will be provided with advanced submarines or jet fighters.[9] Taiwan has indicated that it is willing to host national missile defense radars to be tied into the American system, but is unwilling to pay for any further cost overruns in the systems.[10] link
Taiwanese are asking Obama for help: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/oppose-trade-agreement-between-taiwan-and-china/C80BsZ11
I am only half-Asian, so I am admittedly biased. From what I have seen with my friends, the youth in America are largely belonging to the same party as their parents. Among ABC's, the KMT kids do not care much about politics since they are Americans first and foremost. The DPP kids, on the other hand, remain bleeding heart in terms of their opinions, even if they will never be able to vote on it. Also, the DPP parents in America represent old money. They were mainlanders too at one point, only they moved to Taiwan much earlier than the KMT mainlanders who came over around WWII. When the KMT people emigrated in, the DPP Chinese (not the Aboriginals) owned property already on the island and reaped the rewards of its sudden spike in value. So again, kinda like the American Republican party you have an uneasy marriage between the wealthy minority and then this melange of assorted extremely poor people (Aboriginals, rural farmers, children of the farmers, and anyone who will buy into the independence argument). In the middle are all the KMTers.
It's complicated. Taiwan (ROC) actually still claims sovereignty over mainland China, and till the mid 70s Taiwan's military still actively planned on retaking the mainland. As a matter of fact, the two sides are still technically at war and never signed a peace treaty to end the Chinese civil war. The PRC views Taiwan as a remnant of the Chinese civil war, and if not for numerous interventions from the US in the 50s they would have probably retaken Taiwan already.
Interesting. I don't know much about ABC perspectives; my impression was that most ABC seemed to be more supportive of Taiwan independence, even if their parents are KMT-leaning. I have found that Taiwan's DPP supporters (but not sure about ABC) seem extremely militant and aggressive.
Tell me about it, when I was in college, we played pickup basketball games aginast a DPP group, they would trip people, kick and tackle players when they tries to drive for a basket. All because we came from mainland, even though most of us are US citizens, talk about stupid(got in one of my best elbows ever to one of their face, those were the days).
Support Taiwan, don't let it be the next Hong Kong where gradually its freedom is being squeezed out of the society and its news media are polluted with propaganda everyday from the non-elected gov't. In recent weeks, honest reporters who report the government's incompetence are being attcked under broad day light with gangster assassins. All the promises are now being revealed as a decoy to take back control of Hong Kong, all conditions in the what so called "1 country 2 systems" are all up to the commies' interpretation. Kick out all those big corporations and wealthy pigs who use economic fear to force you accept the trade deal. It was due to a similar trade deal that Hong Kong lost its path to democracy and true freedom forever. Never let China get hold of your economy or you'll be screwed, Taiwan. Don't let the wealthy people sell you out... since they have money, they can do whatever in China anyways so freedom to them is something they already have and enjoyed and use their freedom to enslave the poor to control us normal people.
I was going to say that Taiwan better watch out, or China will simply buy the country. You may have put it better. ;-)-
Lots of people in Taiwan don't want to be anything resembling a "commonwealth" or anything else related to China since a lot of them aren't ethnically Han Chinese. These people want to remain completely independent and I suspect would be against any steps taken towards bringing the countries closer together even if it improved the local economy.
My impression of both Taiwanese and ABC's is that most are fine with the status quo. While there are many who are militantly pro-Independence (for example Minnesota has a relatively small ethnic Chinese population but a Taiwanese group has still set up their own language and cultural group) I don't think they represent a majority or even a plurality. If the PRC were to democratize and allow multiparty elections I think there would be a rush to reunify even if the DPP resisted.
