The history, the origins of the people, the cultural similarities and differences across the Taiwan Strait, who colonized who, and so on. . . All of these things are interesting, and if you understand them you can understand who the people are, who they feel they are, why they feel they way they do, etc.

However, ultimately I don’t think any of the above is important in ‘deciding sovereignty’ - so to speak. I think the only thing that really matters is what people in Taiwan want, because at the end of the day they are the ones whose lives are most affected by the whole ’sovereignty question’.

Maybe a simple example helps illustrate my whole perspective on the thing, and why I think many Mainland Chinese have a problem in their views on this. Imagine a woman is pregnant. Obviously, the best outcome (in a perfect world) is that she and the father of her child can agree on what she does with her unborn child (i.e. does she keep it or does she have an abortion). However, even though the father has some ‘ownership right’ (so to speak) over that unborn child, his right to decide what happens to the child is weaker than the mother. So basically, although both mother and father should have a say in the child’s future, the mother’s right is always stronger than the father’s (not only does the child belong to her, it is inside her body - a part of her, not a part of the father).

I think the situation with Taiwan and Mainland China is a little similar. Obviously there is some shared history between them, and lots of shared culture. Maybe the ‘happiest’ solution is if they can get along. But if they can’t get along Taiwan should have the right to determine its own future (because that future affects people in Taiwan more than it affects people in Mainland China).

A few societies in the world give the father the right to decide whether the woman carrying his child should abort it or keep it (they say the child is ‘more his than hers’). I just find this way of thinking very wrong. It seems quite backwards and barbaric to me.

So I simply think the issue is something for Taiwanese people to decide for themselves. I also think they need to be able to decide it without China bullying them (which unfortunately is the current situation). If they can just be left alone to make their own decision then who knows? Maybe they will make the decision China wants anyway - and totally of their own free will?

Taiwan freely deciding to reunite with China seems like the perfect outcome from China’s point of view. On the other hand, Taiwan being bullied into reuniting with China seems like a worse outcome from China’s point of view. If that outcome happened then people will always remember Taiwan was bullied into reuniting. This is not good for anyone.

Also, even if Taiwan continues to choose to remain separate, does it really matter? Most of the European countries are now independent but also share a common identity as part of the European Union. A more flexible approach like this could also work for Taiwan. And again, who knows? Maybe there could be a flexible period in the short term and in the long term Taiwan really would freely decide to join with China?

So basically I think any ‘decision’ is a good one so long as it is a decision made freely by Taiwanese, not forced on them.

En… I have to check that out…might be a part of history I missed.

But what “deciding factors” do you think are relevant to “deciding if Taiwan should be part of China”?

Im quite interested in your point of views^^

It was a while ago that I wrote that and now I can’t remember where I got the figures. One million could be a little high, but the figure of 300k Taiwanese living in the Shanghai region is widely quoted (even by the People’s Daily).

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-01/31/content_413747.htm

There is also this figure of 4 million visitors from Taiwan to the PRC annually.

http://www.mofa.gov.tw/webapp/ct.asp?xItem=19699&ctNode=461&mp=6

Don’t forget many Taiwanese are working partly in the PRC and partly in the ROC - perhaps in the PRC for several months of each year.

I think putting an exact figure on the number of Taiwanese working in China is kind of hard, but with 300k in and around Shanghai alone it must be a lot.

Sorry, but you are wrong in saying Hokkien was never banned in Taiwan. I realize Taiwanese still speak Hokkien (though young people mostly speak it badly now). However, it was forbidden to speak Hokkien in Taiwanese schools from around the arrival of the KMT in Taiwan through into the 1980s. Students were beaten or fined if they were caught speaking Hokkien. Hokkien broadcasting was also heavily restricted during this period. Hokkien was also banned from public life. Hokkien only entered public life in the 1980s, and its use in public life has been closely linked to the DPP and the pro-Democracy movement. Hokkien education has been heavily emphasized during the Chen Shuibian presidency, so things are very different now to 20 years ago.

I realize that Taiwanese is just another version of Fujianese Hokkien (at least the 閩南 version), and that of course the language (and most of the people) came originally from Fujian.

Personally I don’t think the origins of people and language are the critical consideration in ‘deciding sovereignty’ though (i.e. deciding if Taiwan should be part of China). I mean, Singaporeans also mostly speak Hokkien and mostly come from Fujian. So is Singapore ‘part of China’? Just an example. . . . I just mean, of course it is interesting that Taiwanese basically mostly come from Fujian. But is it relevant to the whole ‘Taiwan question’? I think it is a little relevant but not a ‘deciding factor’.

Thanks for the nice comments about my blog and my writing.

As for the ‘three links’. It is a little more complicated than you describe. People can easily travel back and forth now, but since they have to travel via Hong Kong (no direct flights) it is a little expensive. The problem is with Beijing as well. Just blaming Chen Shuibian is not fair. Beijing is unwilling to negotiate with CSB and the DPP. The pre-condition for negotiations is always that CSB accepts Taiwan is a part of China. When Beijing negotiates with the KMT they are more open minded and willing to ‘agree to disagree’ (e.g. “one China with different interpretations”). This is unfortunate. Still, at least one good outcome of the KMT winning the election is that the three links may now progress.

—-may I ask where did you get this point, and where are the references?and also this part:

“The number of Taiwanese working in China must already exceed a million, with over 300 thousand in Shanghai alone. Taiwan’s total population is only a little over 20 million. ”

As I read though your articles I found them very interesting, but some points I can’t agree with.

I agree with what you said about most population in Taiwan come from China mainland, actually, the Hokkien (the Chinese language spoken by the majority of Taiwan’s inhabitants) was NOT banned by anyone, they still speak this language along with 普通话, this language also is a local language original from Fujian province(福建话as you said Hokkien)

many people in Fujian still speaks Hokkien in their hometown, when they meet their old friends, certainly they don’t speak that to you coz they assume you have nothing to do with understanding that language.

the point I try to make here is,no matter from the language, and the culture, they all came from China, Fujian, they are actually 福建人 except small amount of their local people called 原住民, just like Mori in New Zealand.

我很喜欢你的文章,我就是一个福建人,我很赞同关于人民应该有权利为自己的将来做主的观点,所以我也不想去说服谁关于台湾是中国的一部分,因为历史会证明一切,我只希望大家都过得好.但是我很想告诉你这个外国友人,在今年7月之前,台湾和大陆真的是不通的,不通飞机,也不能贸易,然而7月之后将开放,这是两岸新的发展,台湾前执任人禁止两岸三通,所以我们知道有很多家乡在福建的人们想回福建探望亲人都是很难的,这是我身边的例子,不是媒体的报道所以如果你不相信中国的媒体,你可以相信我.

我读了很多你的文章,也赞赏你很多客观的描写,更喜欢你的文采,所以对于一个想深入了解中国的人,我就想诚心告诉你一些事实,谢谢!