Chinese Unification Cannot Wait for US Approval
Published in Huaxia
(China) on 13 January 2015
by Zhikun Zhang (link to original)
(China) on 13 January 2015
by Zhikun Zhang (link to original)
Translated from
by Anthony Chantavy.
Edited by Stephen Proctor.
Is China rising rapidly? Several people think so.
Even so, China has a wound — or, should we say, a latent disease. This is the total national unification that China up to now has still not seen occur. From a legal angle, China as a country and as a nation are still in a divided state. I once wrote that this is China's first window through which it must step to rise to power, and it is also the fundamental symbol of whether China has truly become unified. There will never be a day where the Chinese people can be complacent in a divided country. We have already risen, already realized the great revival of China as a nation. As long as Taiwan and mainland China are still in a divided state, any way to describe our rise or revival will not be persuasive.
Every Chinese person probably understands this reasoning, so China has been devoted to making its unification with Taiwan happen. We have not forgotten the Chinese economic reform, the most exciting event of the 1980s. However, after so many years of arduous effort, can we finally expect the great cause of national unification soon?
Any rational and objective judgment would be that the Chinese unification is still far from reach.
How can something as painful as this be?
The answer is that the root cause is in America. Anyone would know that if not for America's interference and impedance, China would have retrieved Taiwan and fulfilled its unification a long time ago.
It could be said that, "This is the Taiwanese people's will; it is the Taiwanese who are unwilling to be under mainland China's merciless rule."
This kind of attitude is probably a sort of historical prolonging of nonsense like “women as instruments of production*,” but it has no persuasive power. The reality is that if Taiwan were to return to mainland China it would not set its economic or societal development back, and it would not even change its basic political environment. The proof is that Hong Kong and Macao have already returned to reality, and that is the most powerful case in point.
Taking a step back, some Taiwanese may still reject the unification, but are their demands reasonable and sound? It is important to know that the Chinese unification is not for Taiwan to decide; the Taiwanese have freedom of speech, but not freedom of decision; the power to decide should be in the grasp of all Chinese people.
There are also people who might debate that America is simply preventing China from starting a fight. America has already announced several times that it pursues a "One China" policy, that between the two straits is only one China.
This argument is simply unreasonable. America's so-called One China policy is nothing but a fancy strategic trick that uses the strategic wisdom of past Chinese leaders. It’s not that America is blind, but it is limited to a big-picture perspective, so it pretends it knows nothing and cannot help but to commit to this empty promise.
So, regarding the issue of Chinese unification, the one who must take the lead is America. If America were to announce that it will not interfere in cross-strait affairs — that is, let go of Taiwan — then whatever Democratic Progressive Party or the like would immediately grieve as though their loved ones have passed; whoever holds power in Taiwan would come running to Beijing, and then the Chinese unification would proceed smoothly. Similarly, if America uses Taiwan as a weight on China and does not stop interfering with the cross-strait unification, the dividing line in Taiwan will continue to widen; whoever in Taiwan has power will carry a conceited, wild and intractable manner; the Chinese unification will have been nothing but a moon in the water, a flower in the mirror. This is the reality that the China of today must face.
For a long time, some people in mainland China have had sizable illusions about America, regarding the unification issue. They hope China and the U.S. will have an “I love you, you love me” or “inseparable” relationship, like a married couple. As long as China acts as the gentle "wife" and takes care of its husband America, standing together through thick and thin and sharing joys and sorrows, then a husband like America, moved by China's tenderness, will one day show its good side, loosen its grasp, lift a hand, show mercy to its wife and permit China to take long-lost Taiwan back into its arms.
We say that this is destined to be an impossible illusion.
Reality proves that this so-called "inseparable couple" is purely the product of some Chinese people's imagination. It is no more than a spiritual outlet resulting from China's unrequited love for America, which is serious enough to create a man-and-wife hallucination and a mental illness similar to hysteria.
Also, because of harsh strategic relations, the so-called "man-and-wife" concept is simply wishful thinking. These people are weak with strategy, so they don't really see the strategic opposition between the two countries intensifying day by day. They act like ostriches, hiding their heads to protect their weak minds — there are several writings about China-U.S. conflicts with explanations, so I will not go into unnecessary detail.
Therefore, however Taiwan returns to China, it will never be thanks to America's permission in the 21sts century. Even if in the 22nd century America declines and is no longer a hegemony-exerting power, it will still not give its permission. This is its nature. Every Chinese who loves his or her country must completely discard the illusion that they can ask a tiger to give away its skin.
Chinese unification cannot hope or wait for America to agree. The importance of the Taiwan issue is a hundred times that of the South Sea issue. The largest islands of this China are the only things between it and the Pacific Ocean. Once they are cracked open, China can rush through this chain of islands into the ocean and acquire room to maneuver. If we cannot open this gap, no matter how strong the Chinese navy is, China's power on the waters will forever be bound by strategic locks, forever face a German-style predicament and forever bear the mark of a navy in a bathtub.
More importantly, Chinese unification is where nationalism exists. It has always existed in history, and whoever completes this task will make their name echo throughout history. On the contrary, if a Chinese person drops Taiwan and makes a crack in China, that person will be a terrible criminal in Chinese history.
Right now, China must put unification on its daily agenda; the Taiwan issue cannot drag on for as long as it wants. China cannot be controlled by illusions and let America walk away with its nose in the air. It especially cannot afford to anxiously watch America operate it behind curtains and let Taiwanese authorities pull mainland China by the nose. We must take initiative to set up a unification process and agenda and become a strong “forced mechanism.” China is facing a new period of strategic opportunity in which methods and resources for checking and balancing China's power decrease, all the while the surveillance it receives grows. China has had more strategic initiative than before, so it may welcome a window to unite the two straits in the new future. I believe that if Mao Zedong came back to life or if people like him are brought into this world, unification would be brought to a successful completion.
*Editor's Note: "Women as instruments of production" is referring to Taiwan being taken advantage of by China.
Even so, China has a wound — or, should we say, a latent disease. This is the total national unification that China up to now has still not seen occur. From a legal angle, China as a country and as a nation are still in a divided state. I once wrote that this is China's first window through which it must step to rise to power, and it is also the fundamental symbol of whether China has truly become unified. There will never be a day where the Chinese people can be complacent in a divided country. We have already risen, already realized the great revival of China as a nation. As long as Taiwan and mainland China are still in a divided state, any way to describe our rise or revival will not be persuasive.
Every Chinese person probably understands this reasoning, so China has been devoted to making its unification with Taiwan happen. We have not forgotten the Chinese economic reform, the most exciting event of the 1980s. However, after so many years of arduous effort, can we finally expect the great cause of national unification soon?
Any rational and objective judgment would be that the Chinese unification is still far from reach.
How can something as painful as this be?
The answer is that the root cause is in America. Anyone would know that if not for America's interference and impedance, China would have retrieved Taiwan and fulfilled its unification a long time ago.
It could be said that, "This is the Taiwanese people's will; it is the Taiwanese who are unwilling to be under mainland China's merciless rule."
This kind of attitude is probably a sort of historical prolonging of nonsense like “women as instruments of production*,” but it has no persuasive power. The reality is that if Taiwan were to return to mainland China it would not set its economic or societal development back, and it would not even change its basic political environment. The proof is that Hong Kong and Macao have already returned to reality, and that is the most powerful case in point.
Taking a step back, some Taiwanese may still reject the unification, but are their demands reasonable and sound? It is important to know that the Chinese unification is not for Taiwan to decide; the Taiwanese have freedom of speech, but not freedom of decision; the power to decide should be in the grasp of all Chinese people.
There are also people who might debate that America is simply preventing China from starting a fight. America has already announced several times that it pursues a "One China" policy, that between the two straits is only one China.
This argument is simply unreasonable. America's so-called One China policy is nothing but a fancy strategic trick that uses the strategic wisdom of past Chinese leaders. It’s not that America is blind, but it is limited to a big-picture perspective, so it pretends it knows nothing and cannot help but to commit to this empty promise.
So, regarding the issue of Chinese unification, the one who must take the lead is America. If America were to announce that it will not interfere in cross-strait affairs — that is, let go of Taiwan — then whatever Democratic Progressive Party or the like would immediately grieve as though their loved ones have passed; whoever holds power in Taiwan would come running to Beijing, and then the Chinese unification would proceed smoothly. Similarly, if America uses Taiwan as a weight on China and does not stop interfering with the cross-strait unification, the dividing line in Taiwan will continue to widen; whoever in Taiwan has power will carry a conceited, wild and intractable manner; the Chinese unification will have been nothing but a moon in the water, a flower in the mirror. This is the reality that the China of today must face.
For a long time, some people in mainland China have had sizable illusions about America, regarding the unification issue. They hope China and the U.S. will have an “I love you, you love me” or “inseparable” relationship, like a married couple. As long as China acts as the gentle "wife" and takes care of its husband America, standing together through thick and thin and sharing joys and sorrows, then a husband like America, moved by China's tenderness, will one day show its good side, loosen its grasp, lift a hand, show mercy to its wife and permit China to take long-lost Taiwan back into its arms.
We say that this is destined to be an impossible illusion.
Reality proves that this so-called "inseparable couple" is purely the product of some Chinese people's imagination. It is no more than a spiritual outlet resulting from China's unrequited love for America, which is serious enough to create a man-and-wife hallucination and a mental illness similar to hysteria.
Also, because of harsh strategic relations, the so-called "man-and-wife" concept is simply wishful thinking. These people are weak with strategy, so they don't really see the strategic opposition between the two countries intensifying day by day. They act like ostriches, hiding their heads to protect their weak minds — there are several writings about China-U.S. conflicts with explanations, so I will not go into unnecessary detail.
Therefore, however Taiwan returns to China, it will never be thanks to America's permission in the 21sts century. Even if in the 22nd century America declines and is no longer a hegemony-exerting power, it will still not give its permission. This is its nature. Every Chinese who loves his or her country must completely discard the illusion that they can ask a tiger to give away its skin.
Chinese unification cannot hope or wait for America to agree. The importance of the Taiwan issue is a hundred times that of the South Sea issue. The largest islands of this China are the only things between it and the Pacific Ocean. Once they are cracked open, China can rush through this chain of islands into the ocean and acquire room to maneuver. If we cannot open this gap, no matter how strong the Chinese navy is, China's power on the waters will forever be bound by strategic locks, forever face a German-style predicament and forever bear the mark of a navy in a bathtub.
More importantly, Chinese unification is where nationalism exists. It has always existed in history, and whoever completes this task will make their name echo throughout history. On the contrary, if a Chinese person drops Taiwan and makes a crack in China, that person will be a terrible criminal in Chinese history.
Right now, China must put unification on its daily agenda; the Taiwan issue cannot drag on for as long as it wants. China cannot be controlled by illusions and let America walk away with its nose in the air. It especially cannot afford to anxiously watch America operate it behind curtains and let Taiwanese authorities pull mainland China by the nose. We must take initiative to set up a unification process and agenda and become a strong “forced mechanism.” China is facing a new period of strategic opportunity in which methods and resources for checking and balancing China's power decrease, all the while the surveillance it receives grows. China has had more strategic initiative than before, so it may welcome a window to unite the two straits in the new future. I believe that if Mao Zedong came back to life or if people like him are brought into this world, unification would be brought to a successful completion.
*Editor's Note: "Women as instruments of production" is referring to Taiwan being taken advantage of by China.
I appreciate the article, however and with respect must disagree on the overall outlook that the article projects; that unification is it a static mode awaiting and related to relationships with the U.S.A.. Actually much has taken place that cooks the rice slowly but continuously to bring China and Taiwan together. There have been many large and small Taiwan companies doing business in China, and hiring Chinese workers for several years. Enough so that the engineers and managers from Taiwan are well over one and a half million and they travel frequently between the Taiwan and the Mainland. (See McKinsey Greater China report) It is also important to note that Mainland Chinese citizens can travel freely to Taiwan, and many do; to tour the Island. As well, the strongest political party in Taiwan is the KMT, which originated in Mainland China and do not identify themselves as Taiwanese but as Chinese, thus prefer an eventual re-unification. Point being, all conditions are as they should be and the USA is pragmatic on the issue. Cook the rice slow.