Outcry from Organic Media
The deterioration of mainstream media has been obvious from Pew's research that the public generally do not trust the media. Fake news and fabrication of stories are rampant in the international mainstream media. A sad phenomenon is that sensational mass media headlines have been used for attracting clicks and eyeballs (worse to create false inpression) with no regard to the truth of news content. Unfortunately, this phenomenon has spread to the internet (organic) media, namely, the Internet blocs, newsletters, podcasts, videos, websites, zooms, etc. However, one cannot blame some decent organic media in using such a tactic to attract readership since organic media lacks the financial clout to reach the mass. Nevertheless, Title/headline matching content must be observed. We certainly observe that in this extraordinary report!
Taiwan Is Not the Most Dangerous Place in the World Contrary to Mass Media Report
While the Russia-Ukraine war is still going on and Israel-Gaza conflict is escalating, the international media has published stories to paint Taiwan as the most dangerous place in the world supporting the U.S. foreign policy shift to increase sales of arms to Taiwan in order to thwart China's growth. The media story is that China may use force to reunite with Taiwan (some media report the time as soon as 2025). While Taiwan is denying such a story for fear of losing investments in Taiwan's economy, but the fact Taiwan is buying more weapons under the U.S. coercion is not helping in stopping the world rumor mill, Then came the China-US Summit with Biden/Blinken anxiously to have a dialogue with the Chinese leader Xi Jinping on managing conflicts and crises. The U.S. has recognized that the turbulence and wars in the world are getting out of hand (The U.S. is not able to support or manage them). In the 2023 November summit, Xi said he had not read any military plan of taking over Taiwan by force. He reiterated China's principle of one China and two systems and urged the U.S. to actively support China's peaceful reunification effort. Biden agreed in principle but made no public commitment.
Taiwan's Future Resting on the U.S-China Future
January 13, 2024 was Taiwan's general election selecting the president and the legislative yuan members. Fanned by the international and domestic media, the election was hyped as a choice of war or peace despite the economic issues and government corruption being the real domestic problems. The election result created a 'minority' leader (Lai Chin-te of DPP received 28.6% of the eligible voters' votes) and an opposition 'majority' Legislative Yuan (Opposition party KMT won the majority of the seats). Post election review was heated not only in Taiwan but also in the U.S. and world arena. The future of Taiwan in the context of the future of U.S.-China relations were eagerly discussed by numerous think tanks. Even Chinese and American political scholars have had joint discussions. For example, Brookings Institute hosted an online seminar on Jan. 19, 2024, Navigating the Uncertainties of US-China Relations Over the Next Decade, moderated by Ryan Haas, Thornton China Center and included panelist Ren Libo, founder and president of Grandview Institute. Ranked 6th think tank in China. Chinese think tanks have begun their analysis way before the world picked up the beat recently. They concluded that the U.S. was far more hostile and persistent in pursuing an anti-China policy leading to no benefits to both. China on the other hand has been in debate on reaction to U.S. behavior but eventually came to realization that China needs to execute its own plan. The mainstream U.S. China experts have not loosened their legacy language but they do show anxiety wanting more contacts and dialogue with China, quietly expecting China to reveal a plan on peaceful reunification..
Peaceful Reunification Process Deduced
There is no question that China, the PRC, is recognized by nearly every nation on the Earth planet. Taiwan just lost one more Atlantic Ocean nation, Nauru (population 15,000) post Taiwan's presidential election, reducing its diplomatic relations down to 12. Obviously, this is a message. But after reviewing what has happened in the mass media since the China-US Summit in November 2023 in California and the last Taiwan election in January, 2024, this author has deduced that Taiwan's future is not so bleak as the Economist reported nor so uncertain as the U.S. media wondered. Apparent to this author is that China has already formulated a plan to peacefully reunite with Taiwan regardless of what the U.S. might do or not do. In other words, China expects that the U.S. will not do anything significant when China reveals and executes its peaceful reunification process. By China's firm conviction, this process adheres to the one China and two systems principle which the U.S. has been obligated to recognize for more than five decades and now more sensible to support it positively under a careful and wise assessment of the Taiwan Strait situation from U.S. interest point of view.
What is the PRC's Peaceful Reunification Process?
No one has seen a white paper or publication on this topic, but as the English saying goes, the handwriting is on the wall. China has been clear and consistent in dealing with the Taiwan issue realistically based on its political, diplomatic and military strength. The obstacles to reunification have been the external influences and lack of in-depth communication (political and socio-economic dialogue) between the people of two sides on a level acceptable and familiar to citizens and their view of governance and citizenship. Taiwan government officials' views were obscured by their job or power security! They have been burying their heads in the sand and misleading the Taiwan people until the recent couple of years, when China has firmly risen and gained a world reputation as a reformer and peace promoter. It was clear in the Taiwan election, the people desire to have peace but no candidate can articulate a plan other than wanting a 'better system', better than its current one and better than an ill-painted China's system. Most of the Taiwan people had not experienced China's evolving, reforming and fast improving system which contributed to its rapid rise. This author with ten years of observation has deduced a 'peaceful reunification process' and predict that the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait can rationally accept it. The process is democratic with no military nor time pressure. Its ultimate goal is to reach an acceptable one China two systems for reuniting with Taiwan, The politicians will eventually change their tune once the process is starting.
The Concept of the Peaceful Reunification Process (PRP)
Under the current National People's Congress (NPC) system, it has 2977 delegates representing all of the Chinese people including Hong Kong (7.4M), Macau (0.72M) and Taiwan (23M). Out of the 2977 delegates Hong Kong has 36 seats, Macau 12 seats and Taiwan only 13 seats represented by Taiwanese merchants mostly. The PRP plan is to increase the Taiwan representation to a minimum of 60 representing its 23M people. The current 13 seats shall be maintained with a process to merge with the 60 seats identified by the Taiwan democratic process with or without Taiwan's government support. The simplest, quickest and peaceful way is for NPC to accept the Taiwan election result (The representatives, their parties if any, and their districts that won the legislative yuan seats) and accept them or their designee from the districts to join the NPC to work on PRP. The function of NPC is to adopt legislation and reform the government system, the Taiwan NPC delegates will play a key role in that function to define a Taiwan governance system acceptable to the Taiwan citizens. Since the delegates are directly or indirectly associated with the Taiwan local election, created by a democratic process, their work in NPC to define a Taiwan system should give Taiwan people confidence to accept it.
The NPC delegation selection should be offered to the Taiwan citizens directly based on their local election results to avoid political manipulation by politicians, So long as the NPC adopts this process and lets Taiwan citizens select the delegates, the final system should be acceptable to the Taiwan and Mainland people. It may take years or decades to define the Taiwan system (*The U.S. democracy has not been perfected after 250 years of development.), but it will be evolving democratically. China can give assurance of peace to Taiwan. Taiwan citizens do not have to pay an exorbitant amount of money for military defense or maintenance of diplomatic relations. All the nations in the world will recognize Taiwan citizens' identification under the One China and Two System principle.
All indications show that a PRP will be initiated soon.
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