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GameHunter1095 t1_iu3kirw wrote

Xi just needs to let go and back off ASAP. Both parties would surely benefit short term and most definitely in the long run. Time to move on.

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Culverin t1_iu47gds wrote

Xi personally gains by having a target and bogeyman.

That's how politics works, in authoritarian regimes and democratic ones.

See Hitler, see US politics, see Brexit.

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FormerSrirachaAddict t1_iu6166v wrote

If they don't want to be with you, they don't want to be with you. No matter the amount of history and years you had together before.

Countries need to stop being possessive ex-significant others. Trying to force them to be with you will just push them away further, and generally into the arms of another country, as they need to protect themselves.

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GameHunter1095 t1_iu64f2h wrote

Our analogies are quite similar. I basically compared a possessive relationship between Taiwan and China too. Giving the same circumstances, relationships with one party feeling dominated seemingly always end up failing.

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FormerSrirachaAddict t1_iu653xq wrote

Yep, I had the feeling with your use of "time to move on". I just wanted to add onto that.

I do get that beyond this analogy, there could be the concern of the US using Taiwan to stage attacks onto mainland China, in the CPC's collective mind. However, I don't think Taiwan would have remained as pro-US in the long run if mainland China wasn't constantly talking about taking it back, having enshrined that goal into their constitution. If they could let it go, both states would gain from it, as you also alluded to. It's a huge country of over 1 billion people, with an economy shooting up to the sky, and modernizing extremely quickly nationwide. Taiwan is not worth the sanctions and worsened relationship with Western countries, the way I see it.

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darmabum t1_iu77uo2 wrote

This is not a former relationship issue. During the Qing dynasty China didn’t really care about rugged distant Formosa, and initial modern development happened under the Japanese. So the historical claim is hollow. What is important is that Taiwan is in the center of the first island chain running from Japan to the Philippines, and blocking China's unrestricted access to the Pacific. They need that geopolitical location to expand their new empirical influence, the culture and history angle is just PR window-dressing.

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Zanadar t1_iu4uouw wrote

People who haven't worked much or at all with Chinese nationals and only really interacted with nativized expats or second/third gen immigrants have a really hard time grasping just how pivotal face is in China.

In a contest between the most obvious, blatant reality which simply cannot be contested on any sort of factual basis and face... you have to choose face unless you're prepared to completely and irreprably destroy the relationship with that person. It's really hard to wrap your head around.

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