Larry,
<<That's because generations of Taiwan residents increasingly have grown
apart from China since 1949, when Mao Tse-tung's Communists swept to
power in Beijing and the previous Chinese government fled to the island. Polls
show wide popular support for Mr. Lee's latest stance.>>
If this is true, guess I'm showing my age. We need to be reminded that Lee Teng-Hui's remarks did not explicitly call for independence, although they have been interpreted as such. His primary motivation was for his Party to stay in power after the next election.
However, in comparing Taiwan vs Tibet, I believe there is a world of difference between the two situations. To your quote about political bonds, that is precisely the only link binding Tibet to China, and has always been so.
Taiwan is different - since the 16th century, there has been a steady migration of Chinese from the mainland to Taiwan, so the ethnic and cultural bonds between Chinese on the mainland and Chinese in Taiwan have always been intertwined. The Fujian (Min-nan) dialect spoken on Taiwan is identical to the Fujian dialect in Amoy (Xiamen).
Given the "right" set of political conditions, I believe polls will show overwhelming support for re-unification. The same can never be said, and could never have been said, of Tibet (unless the Han Chinese in Tibet grow to be the majority of the population - but that's another story).
Best regards,
Steve |
