People take photos of downtown Taipei from Xiangshan on January 14. Photo: Elson Li  

In the past, Taiwanese people had a sense of superiority rooted in their higher living standards, but today the gross domestic product of its west coast neighbour, Fujian province, exceeds Taiwan’s. Taiwan’s standard of living was much higher than Fujian’s 30 years ago, but now many Taiwanese are reflecting on why their island’s economy is slipping behind Fujian’s, although they share a regional culture.

Time is on mainland China’s side. The Democratic Progressive Party, currently in power on the island, will never change Beijing’s Taiwan policy . Beijing hopes for a peaceful reunification, but has never said that it will not use force .

Force will be used only to curb Taiwan independence, not against the people of Taiwan. Without Taiwan making a bid for independence, there will be no reunification through military conflict.

The more forcefully the DPP leads Taiwan independence activities, the quicker mainland China’s military forces will prepare for reunification. In the summer of 2022, Taiwan allowed Nancy Pelosi, then speaker of the US House of Representatives, to visit the island. Mainland China conducted military drills around Taiwan, showing the People’s Liberation Army’s ability to blockade the island.

When Chinese President Xi Jinping met Joe Biden outside San Francisco in November, he urged the US president to support China’s peaceful reunification. The US has said it does “not support Taiwan independence”. This shows that US policy goals are designed not to allow Taiwan independence, but to use Taiwan as a tool to curb the development of mainland China.

The US continuing to sell weapons to Taiwan only benefits the military-industrial complex, and cannot change the trend towards reunification.

The so-called “invasion of Taiwan” being hyped by Western media is inaccurate. Taiwan has never been a sovereign country. The differences between the mainland and Taiwan are not conflicts between two countries – they are differences within a single China.

Western media, politicians, and think tanks are confusing right and wrong. They would not say that US president Abraham Lincoln launched a war by invading the southern states, nor would they say that British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher invaded Argentina . So why do they talk of the possibility of “China’s invasion of Taiwan”?

Another lie is the “Chinese military threat”. Since 1979, China has never gone to war with any country. War is the only thing that is not “made in China”. Some American politicians often complain about China’s tough attitude, but this is because they only want China to follow their orders.

The Western media, especially the American media, should tell the story of US military conflicts around the world, including the destruction wrought in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Libya. US military expenses account for nearly 40 per cent of the world’s total, making the country a threat to the entire world, including China. Since 2018, the US has pursued a trade and tech war against China, which has only tried to preserve its sovereignty and security.