3)      The huge and ever-growing gap between the two countries politically, militarily, as well as in social and cultural evolutions, makes the 22 million Taiwanese people unwilling to be swallowed up into a heterogeneous and backward system in China. This, after more than a century of total separation from China, starting from the cession to Japan after the Sino-Japanese War in 1895, through Taiwan's indeterminate legal status after Japan relinquished its sovereignty at the end of WWII, and the effective occupation by the current regime as a separate sovereign state. And if you trace it back prior to the last century, the relationship between Taiwan and China was more off than it was on, and was fairly sporadic. From an ethnic point of view, today's Taiwanese after decades of interracial marriages with the Dutch, Spaniards, Japanese, and aborigines are in fact very different from the Han Chinese. They were just unfortunately caught in the crosscurrent of history and drawn into this Chinese controversy. It would be totally inhuman and unconscionable to force the Taiwanese people to be gobbled up by any country, let alone by one like China.

     The shame about all of this is the fact that political confrontation is absolutely unnecessary and of no benefit to anyone. Insead, a friendly and accommodative relationship between the two countries would complement each other economically, greatly reduce the tensions in the region, and bring about a lot of good things to the world community. Taiwan, for the sake of its survival and prosperity, would never want to be uncooperative or hostile toward China, meaning no harm but a lot of advantages for all.

     TAIWAN'S COURSES OF ACTION

      Politically in the face of the insurmountable stalemate, Taiwan needs to win the sympathy and understanding of the international community and avoid being viewed as a provocateur by engaging in a dialogue or negotiation with China as equal political entities without pre-set conditions, time tables or undue pressures from anywhere. If it took that long and so many locations for the U.S. and China to negotiate and re-establish their diplomatic relations under a much less strained relationship then, then it will take more time here to effect resolution. A lot of things could happen in China-contradictions and conflicts between central and local governments, between communist system and free market reforms, between old rulers and new cadets, between party members and non-member, between coastal and inland provinces, etc., etc. Through the opening up of China's borders and its exposure to the outside world's technological, informational and communicational developments, penetrating impacts can be expected on its population to bring about desirable changes.