Note: This article was published in 2005 by Mr. Lei Xiying, chairman of the China Straits Research Institute (Hong Kong), on Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao website.
Taking history as a mirror, and also because of the constraints and constraints of various subjective and objective factors in the current situation in the Taiwan Strait, strengthening the role of "force" as a backing in the process of reunifying Taiwan has become a trend in realizing the reunification of the mainland. Promoting "peace" with "force" and "reunification" with "force" is a trend in the current development of the situation in the Taiwan Strait, and it is also necessary for us to realize national reunification, safeguard sovereignty and territorial integrity, ensure that China has a long-term and stable surrounding environment for political and economic development, and firmly defend the national interests of the mainland.
The experience of reunifying Taiwan four times in history
As an inalienable sacred territory of China, Taiwan's history can be traced back to 230 A.D. during the Three Kingdoms period, when the Eastern Wu generals Wei Wen and Zhuge Zhi led the sailors to Yizhou (today's Taiwan Province) at that time, and it has been more than 1,700 years. In the course of this long history, Taiwan has been repeatedly invaded and occupied because of its special geographical location far from the mainland and isolated on the sea, as well as its strategic position as a transportation hub in the ocean and a barrier to coastal provinces. In addition to the aggression of foreign colonizers such as the Dutch and Japan, there were also divisions caused by political struggles within the nation. However, no matter what time Taiwan is separated from the motherland, it has strongly stimulated the patriotic fervor and national spirit of the broad masses of the Chinese nation, and not only have we not allowed it, but we have also resolutely defended the unity and dignity of our great motherland and the inalienable part of the mainland's sacred territory -- "Taiwan." Let's briefly replay the four frozen historical scenes in two categories and reflect on this long historical drift:
(1) The history of retaking Taiwan from foreign nations
(1) In 1602, Shen Yourong waved his army into Taiwan, exterminated the Japanese and recovered Taiwan
In the seventh year of the Southern Song Dynasty (1171 AD), the central government stationed troops in Taiwan and Penghu for the first time, and Wang Dayou, the governor of Quanzhou, stationed boats and sailors in Penghu to guard the waters and land in Taiwan and Penghu. After the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty, Kublai Khan, the ancestor of the Yuan dynasty, set up the Penghu Inspection Department in Penghu in the 27th year of the Yuan Dynasty (1290 AD), which was subordinate to Tong'an Mansion in Fujian Province to rule Taiwan and Penghu.
In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, the Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, ordered the implementation of a sea ban to prevent the harassment of the southeast coast of the mainland by the Japanese pirates, and abandoned the garrison of the island and removed the inspection department located in Penghu. Therefore, the Japanese invaded by taking advantage of the situation and used Taiwan and Penghu as their strategic bases to intrude on the mainland's coastal areas, and frequently attacked and harassed the mainland's southeastern coast.
As the problem of Japanese infestation intensified, the Ming Dynasty government intensified its crackdown on the Japanese invaders. In the twenty-ninth year of Wanli of the Ming Dynasty (1601 AD), the Japanese were surrounded and annihilated by the Ming Dynasty navy along the coast of Fujian, most of them were wiped out, and a small number of escaped elements fled back to Taiwan. Shen Yourong, the capital of Fujian Province who was guarding Huyu (today's Kinmen), pursued the victory and set sail in the East China Sea in a big way, expelling the Japanese from Taiwan in one fell swoop! This was the first time that the Chinese army had recovered Taiwan from foreign invaders.
(2) In 1662, Zheng Chenggong expelled the Dutch colonists and recovered Taiwan
In the first half of the 17th century, under the guise of using Taiwan as a place of trade, the Dutch colonists entered Taiwan after deceiving the trust of Ming officials, and finally placed Taiwan under their colonial rule through despicable means of coercion and inducement.
After the change of dynasty, Zheng Chenggong saw that the overall situation of the Manchu Qing Dynasty to unify the world had been decided, so he put into practice the grand plan of recovering Taiwan, so as to establish an anti-Qing base area and rescue the vast number of Gaoshan compatriots in Taiwan from the clutches of the Dutch colonists.
On March 23, the eighteenth year of Shunzhi (1661 AD), Zheng Chenggong led more than 200 large and small warships and 25,000 soldiers across the Taiwan Strait.
Zheng Chenggong adopted the strategy of "first concentrating superior forces, destroying the enemy's weak forces, and then breaking through the enemy's large forces", first taking small cities such as Chichi, and at the same time dispatching elite soldiers to garrison the coast and wait for the Dutch reinforcements.
Zheng Chenggong faced Taiwan City, the largest city in Taiwan, where the Dutch governor Kuiyi was located, formulated and implemented a strategy of blockade and encirclement, isolating the city from the outside world, and causing the Dutch army to chaos without a fight. During this period, he sent a group of people to sue for peace, demanding that the siege be lifted and that the Dutch should remain on the island, and promised to reward Zheng Jun with 100,000 taels of silver.
Zheng Chenggong scoffed, and sternly refused: "Only by returning me to Taiwan, you can let you live, otherwise, the day the army attacks the city will be the time for you to be buried." In January of the first year of Kangxi (1662 AD), the city of Taiwan ran out of ammunition and food, and the Dutch army died in battle, starved to death, and died of disease, and finally only two or three percent of the troops remained. Zheng Chenggong judged the situation and defeated the Dutch army in one fell swoop and recovered Taiwan, which had been occupied by the Dutch colonists for 38 years.
(3) In 1945, Japan surrendered and Taiwan returned to the motherland
After the defeat of the First Sino-Japanese War and the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki, Taiwan was separated from the motherland and became a Japanese colony. This separation is 50 years.
Until the victory in World War II, Japan was finally defeated. During World War II, the Nationalist Government announced to the world in the Proclamation of the Declaration of War after the outbreak of the Pacific War: "I hereby declare war on Japan, and all treaties involving Sino-Japanese relations shall be abrogated." According to this declaration, the Treaty of Shimonoseki was rightly abolished. This position of the Nationalist Government was quickly recognized and supported by the allies. The subsequent Cairo Declaration clearly stated: "China's territories, such as Manchuria and Taiwan, which have been treacherously stolen by Japan, shall be returned to China as a matter of course." The Potsdam Proclamation, issued on the eve of victory in the war, further affirmed the spirit of the Cairo Declaration. As one of the most important powers fighting fascism, China has finally defended its sovereignty and territorial integrity and national dignity after paying a heavy price!
After the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Japan announced its unconditional surrender, and the Nationalist Government immediately announced to China and foreign countries: "On August 14 of this year, the Japanese Government has replied to the unconditional surrender of China, the United States, Britain and the Soviet Union. "National Revolutionary Army Army Army General Chen Yi, as the chief officer who accepted the surrender of the Japanese army in Taiwan, was appointed as the chief executive of Taiwan Province and the commander-in-chief of the garrison.
On October 25, 1945, Chen Yi accepted the surrender of the Japanese army at the Taipei Public Hall, and Chen Yi announced through the radio that "from today onwards, Taiwan and the Penghu Islands will officially rejoin the Chinese territory, and all land and people will be under the sovereignty of the Chinese government." I would like to report to the mainland compatriots and the world that Taiwan has now been recovered!"
After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the vast majority of countries in the world recognized only one China, that is, the People's Republic of China, and Taiwan was an inalienable part of the People's Republic of China.
(2) The resolution of the contradictions within the nation and the recovery of Taiwan
1683, Kangxi Wenji Wugong, Ichiyi Two Kishi
After Zheng Chenggong recovered Taiwan, he worked hard all day long in order to oppose the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty, and died of illness in the year of the recovery of Taiwan, and his son Zheng Jing succeeded him as the king of Yanping County, continued to govern Taiwan, and fought against the Qing Dynasty.
After the brilliant Kangxi Emperor came to power, he actively prepared for the recovery of Taiwan. At first, looking at the overall situation, the Qing court first planned to solve the Taiwan issue by means of appeasement. The Qing court sent envoys to negotiate with Zheng Jing on many occasions and put forward quite favorable conditions, such as: protecting the families and relatives of Zheng Jun in various coastal areas, and entrusting those with outstanding martial arts skills in the old Zheng army who had surrendered to Cheng with important tasks; formulating and promulgating the "Ten Articles of the Regulations on Recruiting and Fuming," and setting up a "Xiulai Pavilion" in Zhangzhou, and recruiting Zheng officers and soldiers with official titles and wealth. Zheng Jing refused to allow it, and demanded that Taiwan pay tribute to the DPRK as a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty "according to the Korean example". This is actually making Taiwan independent and dividing China into two! This was naturally opposed by Kangxi.
The negotiations broke down, and the two sides talked and fought for more than a decade, and remained in a tense and hostile state.
In the twentieth year of Kangxi (1681 AD), Zheng Jing died, and several of his sons fought each other for the throne, and finally Zheng Keshuang succeeded to the throne by the generals Liu Guoxuan and Feng Xifan. At this time, the "Rebellion of the Three Feudatories" of the Qing Dynasty had been pacified, the people's lives were stable, the economy was rapidly recovering and developing, and it became the general trend to recover Taiwan and achieve national reunification. According to this, Kangxi decided to unify Taiwan by force!
On June 14, the twenty-second year of Kangxi (1683 AD), the Qing army crossed the sea to the east. After seven days of fighting, Penghu was conquered, and the main force of Zheng's army was lost. At this time, Kangxi promulgated the "Edict of Forgiveness", pointing out: If Zheng Keshuang and other heads of government can "repent and surrender to sincerity, devote themselves to the transformation, and lead their puppet officials, soldiers and civilians to land", not only will all the previous crimes be pardoned, but also will be recognized and preferential treatment by the imperial court.
Take history as a mirror and reflect on the current situation in the Taiwan Strait
Looking back at the past 400 years, Taiwan has never been changed as an inseparable part of the Chinese nation. Every aggression and separation has failed under the resolute resistance and counterattack of the Chinese people! In the historical process of the four reunifications of Taiwan of these two natures, we should pay attention to the following problems: In the face of the Netherlands, We have never compromised on the provocations of Japan and other foreign invading forces, and we have resolutely defended China's national unity and territorial integrity by force, and the issue of sovereignty is not negotiable; however, in the face of the separation brought about by national contradictions and political disputes at home, we have tried our best not to use force, but have taught them the general interests of the nation, hoping for peaceful reunification; however, it is a pity that the "peaceful reunification" that contains the great national interests has finally failed, while the "military reunification" that has no choice but to achieve unexpected results and gains, and on the contrary, it has finally promoted "peaceful reunification" The final realization. Grasping both "martial arts" and "peace" with both hands, and being firm with both hands, is the experience that history has given us. The whole process of the Qing Dynasty's unification of Taiwan is a good proof of this. In fact, long before the Kangxi Emperor appeased Taiwan, when Ao Bai was in power from 1661 to 1669, after the failure of sending troops to Penghu twice, most of the Qing Dynasty officials advocated appeasement, and in order to show their sincerity, "there was a shortage of admirals in the water cutter, and all the warships were burned", and "all the officers and soldiers who surrendered to Cheng were assigned to other provinces for reclamation", and adopted a passive and conservative defensive policy against the Zheng regime, and pinned the hope of reunifying Taiwan entirely on peace negotiations. However, this policy not only did not achieve the desired effect of the Qing Dynasty officials, but soon tasted the bad consequences. After Kangxi took power, in order to avoid wars, disasters, and misery of the people, and in order to avoid the sorrow of fighting in the same room, he made unremitting efforts for more than ten years, hoping to impress the rulers of Taiwan with his sincerity and influence them with national righteousness, but in the end he still failed. Zheng Jing and others used the natural risks of the Taiwan Strait as a shield to unrealistically raise the asking price of the peace talks and demanded that "the DPRK follow the DPRK's example," with the result that the peace talks were fruitless for many years. As Shi Lang said, in the case that Taiwan's military strength is inferior, "if you are single-minded in sending officials to recruit, the power of manipulation lies with Zheng Jing alone, and I am afraid that there will be no day when the people will return to sincerity." "The Qing Dynasty learned a lesson from the failure of more than ten years of negotiations and confrontations with the Zheng clique, and gradually realized that the possibility of subjugating the Zheng clique and reunifying Taiwan in a purely peaceful way did not exist, and that it was necessary to resort to force. Subsequently, the Qing Dynasty changed its normal state and actively carried out war preparations for the reunification of Taiwan, such as the restoration of the Fujian Navy Division, the construction of ships, the reappointment of Shi Lang as the Admiral of the Navy Division, and the granting of exclusive powers. In the end, in less than three years, Shi Lang's sailors swept across the Taiwan Strait and approached the island of Taiwan. Under the strong deterrence of force, the rulers of Taiwan's Zheng clique accepted the proposal of "peaceful reunification," and Taiwan finally returned to the big family of the motherland.
In the face of the current situation in Taiwan, the mainland government has always advocated "peaceful reunification and one country, two systems" and hopes to finally realize the reunification of our great motherland in a peaceful way. However, we must pay attention to the fact that while we are intolerant of the majority of Taiwan compatriots and full of national friendship, we must never confuse the basic connotation of our "reunification," and at the same time, we must also squarely face the irreconcilable contradictions between some unavoidable practical problems in Taiwan and this basic connotation.
(1) We unswervingly uphold the one-China principle, and at the same time make it clear that "reunification" has two basic contents: First, we will ensure that Taiwan's territory is owned by China and will not be occupied by foreign countries; and second, compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait will be unified under one China. Reunification refers to the reunification of Chinese compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, not the reunification of mainland Chinese and foreigners in Taiwan. At present, the majority of compatriots in Taiwan adhere to the one-China stance and support the reunification of the motherland, and we must strive for peace for them as much as possible. However, we must also realize that the existence of Lee Teng-hui and other national scum is an obstacle that cannot be underestimated in the peace process on the mainland. During the long 50 years of Japanese rule, a considerable part of Taiwan's native residents were imbued with Japanese blood, which also provided a pretext for their independence and secession. Among them, the most shameless "illegitimate son of the Japanese" named "Lee Teng-hui" is the representative, who has an indescribable special affection for Japan, and "as long as he is with the Japanese, he will immediately have a special sense of intimacy and excitement." Therefore, they want to do everything possible to give Taiwan to Japan in order to fulfill the perverted passion in their hearts. Because of the existence of such a group of scum, it is unrealistic and impossible for the mainland to willingly accept the infiltration of a new social system and system and accept a gradual transformation under inaction under the condition of "peaceful" and without action and pressure. Since Lee Teng-hui and other Taiwan independence elements regard themselves as Japanese and regard themselves as foreigners, we do not need to consider the issue of reunification with them. When these Taiwan independence elements, who have become "foreigners," decide to seize China's Taiwan territory, China can only use force to safeguard its territorial integrity! This has been the case in history, and it is even more so now.
(2) We also need to think about the following question: Taiwan has existed as an independent political entity for more than 50 years, and the adaptation and habits of the Taiwanese people to a social system like theirs, such as the political system, cultural system, and economic system, have been deeply rooted and difficult to change. On the afternoon of September 2, 2005, Ma Ying-jeou, chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang, made it clear that "if the two sides of the strait are to be reunified in the future, it should at least be possible under the condition that both sides of the strait are democratic societies." If the mainland is not democratic, it will be difficult for the two sides of the strait to talk about reunification." This is a good reflection of this general popular mentality in Taiwan. We should also face up to the fact that Lee Teng-hui's painstaking management of cultural Taiwan independence for more than 10 years has left more or less traces in Taiwan. From the first day of school, they instill in the children that Taiwan is not Chinese, Taiwan is independent, Taiwan has its own history, Taiwan has nothing to do with the mainland, and the mainland has colonized Taiwan...... In this kind of education, do you think that he is Chinese? Some people may tell him that the ancestors of the Taiwanese came from China, and that the Chinese dialect, the Spring Festival, and eating moon cakes are all traditions of Chinese culture, but the Taiwan independence culture has brutally erased such a heritage:" Our ancestors are Chinese, but now we live in Taiwan, are Taiwanese, although we have inherited a lot of Chinese cultural traditions, but we can only count Chinese descendants at most, but it is definitely not Chinese, there are more Chinese all over the world, and there are more Chinese around the world...... "This kind of "de-sinicization" education has been very common and prevalent in Taiwan, which makes the next generation of Taiwanese sense of identity as "Chinese" very fragile. As this fragile sense of identity continues to spread, how can we talk about one China? Where will peaceful reunification go?
Can we afford to wait like this without doing anything substantial?
(3) At present, there are many political factions in Taiwan, each with evil intentions, fighting with each other, all trying to get a piece of the pie in the negotiations and maneuvering with the mainland, among which the political struggle between the Chinese Kuomintang, the People First Party, the Democratic Progressive Party, and the New Party is the most intense, and they represent the two camps of "pan-blue" and "pan-green" respectively. Although the "pan-blue" camp ostensibly adheres to one China and opposes Taiwan independence, its nature and limitations also make it impossible for us to harbor too many illusions about them. "In the limited materials of Ma Ying-jeou's media interview, what he said was nothing more than 'anti-communism and not anti-China' and 'the mainland is not democratic and does not talk about reunification'. He 'opposes Taiwan independence, de jure Taiwan independence' and 'opposes one country, two systems.' He advocated that the Kuomintang should put forward a 'Taiwan discourse' and claimed that 'China can only be linked to Taiwan before it can be China'. Regarding the development of the two sides of the strait, he said: "If the Kuomintang takes power, it will be able to carry out three direct links between the two sides of the strait within two years...... On the issue of Taiwan's sovereignty, he said that 'the issue of sovereignty can only be handled, not resolved.' Judging from the words he has said, there seems to be an ambivalence of fear of both reunification and independence, and the ambivalence of wanting three links but not being willing to work with the mainland to "solve" the issue of Taiwan's sovereignty ......"; and the "pan-green" camp does not need to be described in too many words; it openly takes "Taiwan independence" as its purpose and has recruited a certain number of people, especially the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) stressing that Taiwan "must follow its own path" It has blurred and concealed its own political motives, caused political instability on the island, and at the same time further misled the perspective and thinking of the Taiwan people. In the past 10 years or so, they have blinded the majority of the Taiwan people, held the most important political power in Taiwan, and directed one scandalous drama after another for Taiwan independence. Under such a political reality, if the mainland still blindly and simply emphasizes "peaceful reunification," I am afraid that the prospects for "peaceful reunification" will be worrisome.
(4) What is most worrisome about Taiwan at present is its rapid military development, which has created an immeasurable and insurmountable chasm between "military reunification" and the final realization of "peace." After the early 90s of the 20th century, Taiwan's military strategy was adjusted along with the change of its political strategy. In response to the political needs of seeking "separatism and partition," militarily it openly abandoned the military objective of "counterattacking the mainland," changed the previous operational guidance of "giving priority to air and sea supremacy, and winning a decisive victory against landing," put forward a new operational guiding ideology of "maritime defense, air defense, and land defense," and emphasized that "fighting a decisive battle on the shore and beach" should be a "decisive battle between the sea and the air." In recent years, Taiwan has quickened the pace of developing and importing new and high-tech military equipment and equipment, such as developing and developing the "Hsiung Feng series cruise missile" with a range of 500 to 1,000 km; purchasing a large number of developed countries, mainly the United States, including F-16C/D-block 50/52 new fighters (it is expected to purchase the latest JSF joint strike aircraft from the United States), "Patriot" series missiles, and the most advanced "long-range early warning radar observation system." and the S-80 diesel-electric submarine, which is the latest industrial achievement of Spain, and other diversified and comprehensive advanced weapons; through frequent military exercises, the combat capability of the armed forces and the actual combat application of advanced weapons will be strengthened, and the overall military strength of the Taiwan armed forces on land, sea, and air will be enhanced. While strengthening its own strength, Taiwan has also actively moved closer to the United States and become a member of the US defense system in the Asia-Pacific region, creating a better platform for the development of its military status and threatening power. Relying on Taiwan's extremely strong economic foundation and strength, as well as its relatively strong scientific and technological research and development capabilities, we cannot underestimate Taiwan's potential and threat in military development; "When the Taiwan military's latest improved IDF 'Ching-kuo' fighter made its first test flight a while ago, the Taiwan military's stealth fighter design, codenamed 'Black Wolf Project,' was unexpectedly exposed..." The report quoted the Taiwan Air Force as saying that the radar reflected wave of the AT3 trainer plane tested was half less than that of the same type of aircraft that was not coated with stealth paint, which could make it more difficult for the fighter to be locked on the radar. "What is even more worrying is that we must face up to a very serious issue: Taiwan has been working on the development of nuclear weapons for many years, and Taiwan independence elements regard it as a trump card for final negotiations with the mainland. With Taiwan's existing technology and the funds invested in military development, the success of the development of nuclear weapons should not be a big problem, but only a matter of time. Moreover, according to Taiwan media reports, "the Taiwan military has secretly completed the test explosion of an oil and gas bomb codenamed 'Qingyun,' which is a weapon known internationally as a 'poor man's nuclear bomb,' and the 'Ministry of National Defense' of the Taiwan authorities is ready to allocate a budget for production in the next fiscal year." "With the acceleration of the process, once the atomic bomb, hydrogen bomb and other high-level nuclear weapons in the true sense are successfully developed, Taiwan and the mainland will be able to achieve mutual restraint and balance in the real sense.
Third, we should face up to the differences between the Taiwan issue and the Hong Kong and Macao issues
It is not difficult for us to see from the above exposition that if we continue to work hard in the form of pure "peaceful reunification," although this will superficially safeguard the stability of the country at this stage and the harmony of economic construction, and so on, in the long run, we will only pay the money to buy the road for Taiwan independence for those hateful Taiwan independence elements in Taiwan! Perhaps many people will disdain this conclusion and will use the examples of Hong Kong and Macao to refute it, thus concluding that "peaceful reunification" can bring about a very harmonious situation of reunification. In this regard, I must make it clear that "the issue of Taiwan's reunification is completely different from the issue of the return of Hong Kong and Macao, and cannot be confused!" Everyone should note that there is an essential difference between Taiwan and Hong Kong and Macao, and it is this essential difference that determines that its reunification cannot be achieved through purely peaceful means. First of all, Hong Kong and Macao were because of the corruption and incompetence of the Qing government, and the British, Portugal, and other powers forced the Qing government to forcibly lease them through threats of violence, while Taiwan was occupied by the Kuomintang government because of its defeat in the War of Liberation and occupied it as a position for its counterattack on the mainland. Third, the return of Hong Kong and Macao to the motherland is a wise choice made by Britain and Portugal after taking into account the overall interests of international political strategy after China's comprehensive national strength has risen rapidly and its international influence has greatly increased. However, all this is bad news for those in power in Taiwan, and the strong national strength of the mainland will inevitably bring tremendous pressure to them, and their interests will be fundamentally impacted, because after all, no one in power will be willing to lose the power in their hands in vain. The issues of Hong Kong and Macao and the issue of Taiwan are, on the one hand, the issue of state-to-state sovereignty, and on the other hand, the issue of separatism and reunification within the nation. In Taiwan today, no matter which political party or political force it is, it is impossible for them to take the initiative to give up the use and control of Taiwan's independent rights based on their own political stance and political interests. It can be seen from Ma Ying-jeou's speech on the topic of "Taiwan's New Thinking" delivered at Singapore's "Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy" that although Ma Ying-jeou reiterated the "five noes and five wants" -- the "five noes" include: Taiwan will not declare "independence," will not change its "national flag" and "national name," will not include the so-called "special relations between countries" in the "Constitution," will not create trouble for "reunification or independence," and will not cause controversy over "abolishing the National Unification Council." The "five essentials" are: 1) Dialogue with the mainland on the basis of the "one-China principle" and the "consensus of '92"; 2) Peace talks with the mainland, which should be based on peace and avoid military competition; 3. Establish a common market between the two sides of the strait, promote direct shipping links, and help Taiwan enterprises enhance their competitiveness; 4. Expand Taiwan's "international participation"; and 5) Strengthen cross-strait cultural and educational exchanges. However, it is not difficult to see that these are completely roundabout political negotiations in which Taiwan places itself under an independent political force and faction, and its most essential purpose is still to safeguard and focus on safeguarding Taiwan's political forces. In addition, even if the authorities are able to accept the so-called "peaceful reunification" under the current situation, in what capacity will Taiwan, as a country with its own military presence, appear in the big family of the Chinese nation? Is it similar to the common vassal states in ancient China? In this case, in order to maintain the apparent harmony, the central government is very likely to be constrained and coerced in many political and economic aspects. The separatists in Xinjiang have found a better excuse to support separatism, which is quite detrimental to the mainland's long-term development. Moreover, with the gradual clarity of the international political and economic situation and the intensification of geopolitical and military conflicts represented by China, the United States, and Japan, Taiwan's strategic position has become more and more prominent. As China's strategic frontier, once Taiwan defects, we will not only deal with foreign aggression, but will also deal with intra-ethnic disputes directly provoked by the separatist elements latent in Taiwan today; at that time, the separatist forces in Tibet, Xinjiang, and other places, which have already received the support of foreign separatist forces and Taiwan independence elements, will directly and vigorously counterattack the northwest and southwest borders of the mainland under the inducement of Taiwan, creating a dangerous situation in which the mainland is attacked by the enemy on its back and the troops are divided between the two ends.
4. Where do we go from here in the face of all this?
Therefore, as early as May 1955, the Chinese leader said for the first time that there are two possible ways for the Chinese people to resolve the Taiwan issue, that is, the way of war and the way of peace, and that the Chinese people are willing to strive to solve the problem by peaceful means under possible conditions. In July 1955, the Chinese leader made it clear that "the people of Chinese are willing to strive for the peaceful liberation of Taiwan under possible conditions...... The Chinese Government is willing to consult with the responsible local authorities in Taiwan on concrete steps for the peaceful liberation of Taiwan. In June 1956, the Chinese leader once again made it clear: "The Chinese Government and the Chinese people are willing to strive for the peaceful liberation of Taiwan under possible conditions, and we are willing to negotiate with the Taiwan authorities on concrete steps and conditions for the peaceful liberation of Taiwan." "Since the end of the 70s of the last century, as some important changes have taken place in the international and domestic situation, the Chinese Government, out of consideration for the interests and future of the entire country and the nation, has put forward the principle of "peaceful reunification and one country, two systems" in line with the principles of respecting history, respecting reality, seeking truth from facts, and taking into account the interests of all parties. The mainland government's stance and actions in upholding peaceful reunification and safeguarding the fundamental interests of the broad masses of the people have fully demonstrated the mainland government's determination to treat each other frankly and strive for peace. However, under the current situation, we have no choice but to re-examine this issue; after all, it is not only the people of Taiwan who we have to deal with, but also, in a certain sense, the most important thing is the so-called leaders in Taiwan who are clamoring to be "loyal to the party and the people"! Through the enlightenment given to us by history, and also in the light of the current situation and development trend in Taiwan, we cannot but attach importance to the play of the key role of "armed reunification."
In the face of the current complicated situation in Taiwan, where the prospects are worrisome, we should draw on the experience of the Qing Dynasty, intensify the substantive pressure on the use of force, and be prepared at all costs! When China decided to participate in the Korean War, Peng Dehuai said that it was necessary to send troops to aid the DPRK, and if it was defeated, it would be equivalent to a few years of victory in the War of Liberation. At that time, our CPC/CPC Central Committee and Chairman Mao/Ze/Dong had already correctly handled the relationship between war and the economy, and put forward the principle of "fighting while stabilizing, and building at the same time" to reduce the impact of war on the economy to a minimum. Finally, through the Movement to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the cohesion of the nation was greatly strengthened and the revolutionary enthusiasm of the people of the whole country was stimulated. Not only has China's economic construction not been greatly affected, but on the contrary, it has accelerated its economic recovery and promoted the construction of the national defense industry and the completion of various tasks. The mental outlook of the people throughout the country has changed dramatically. Judging from the outcome of the war and the aftermath of the war, there is no doubt that the decision to send troops to Korea was completely correct.
Although the current situation is very different from that of the Korean War, it is essentially the same, and we should resolutely and resolutely safeguard our national interests and, from a long-term perspective, adopt the most appropriate way to defend our national sovereignty and safeguard our supreme national interests! Taiwan's political situation is now in a state of extreme chaos, and the United States, the biggest obstacle to the Chinese Government's reunification, is also in the Iraq war, the situation in Afghanistan, Iran, and Iran. North Korea's nuclear issue, terrorism, and so on, have no time to protect themselves, and the approach of its 2008 general election has caused domestic political entities to compete and attack each other, and there is no time to look eastward. All this is a very good opportunity for the mainland, and Chinese military experts have already drawn up a complete and thorough strategic principle and tactics for the rapid capture of Taiwan, so long as the leaders of our party can show enough courage and confidence to strike first and quickly and decisively destroy Taiwan's political shackles, and "awaken" Taiwan's rebirth by "destroying."
In the 80s, Deng Xiaoping put forward the principle of "peaceful reunification and one country, two systems," but he also said: "We insist on seeking a peaceful solution to the Taiwan issue, but we have never given up the possibility of non-peaceful means, and we cannot make such a promise." On 30 January 1995, President Jiang delivered an important speech entitled "Continue to Strive for the Accomplishment of the Great Cause of the Reunification of the Motherland," which clearly pointed out that "not giving up the use of force is by no means aimed at the Taiwan compatriots." Rather, it is aimed at foreign forces and Taiwan independence elements that interfere in China's reunification." The first three generations of leaders on the mainland foresaw the indispensability and importance of reunifying Taiwan by force very early, but it was only because of historical conditions, the constraints of the international environment, and the constraints of national strength that they were unable to finally accomplish the great cause of reunifying the motherland. Today, along with the changes in the political and economic environment on the island of Taiwan and the further intensification of the activities of the Taiwan independence elements, the danger of Taiwan separatists getting us involved in a war is constantly increasing militarily and undermining the international security environment for the mainland's modernization drive; diplomatically, the Taiwan issue has seriously affected the development of Sino-US relations and undermined the mainland's strategic environment; economically, Taiwan's money diplomacy has had an incalculable impact on the mainland, such as wasting a lot of economic resources and adding a lot of unnecessary economic burdens. All this is extremely unfavorable to the next stage and long-term development of the mainland. In the face of all this, and in the face of the current international situation, it is time for "armed reunification" to be put on the agenda.
Taking history as a mirror, and also because of the constraints and constraints of various subjective and objective factors in the current situation in the Taiwan Strait, strengthening the role of "armed force" as a backing in the process of reunifying Taiwan has become a trend in realizing the reunification of the mainland. Promoting "peace" with "force" and "reunification" with "force" is a trend in the current development of the situation in the Taiwan Strait, and it is still more necessary for us to realize national reunification, safeguard sovereignty and territorial integrity, ensure that China has a long-term and stable surrounding environment for political and economic development, and firmly defend the mainland's national interests! The sooner reunification is, the more conducive it will be to the mainland's rise! If the issue of reunifying Taiwan is resolved, China's rise will enter another leap!
Author: Lei Xiying
PhD in International Political Strategy, Australian National University
Chairman of the Board of Directors of the China Straits Research Institute (Hong Kong).