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> Taiwan is not simply an island claimed by Beijing Yes, China claims Taiwan and China are the same country. Not mentioned is that US policy also says that Ta

> Taiwan is not simply an island claimed by Beijing Yes, China claims Taiwan and China are the same country. Not mentioned is that US policy also says that Taiwan and China are the same country. In fact Taiwan policy is that China and Taiwan are the same country. You would think reading this that Taiwan had declared independence from China as a separate country. Also on the topic of "simply an island" - Taiwan is not just the island of Taiwan, they are on Kinmen island in the harbor of Xiamen on the mainland PRC. This would be like Manhattan receiving imperial proclamations about its "sovereignty" from China. The fact is Taiwan was Chinese long before the United States even existed, just like the Russian Navy has been in Crimea since before the US existed. The US funded and armed separatist forces - but in 1900 the US was raising its flag in Beijing's imperial city. The historical development is these imperial intrusions have been pushed back by China. Taiwan is important to China and the US is too occupied blockading Cuba, slaughtering Venezuelan and Iranian leadership, aiding the genocide of Gaza and the invasions of Syria and Lebanon etc., while its health secretary fights against vaccines.

kirab 4mo ago
> Taiwan policy is that China and Taiwan are the same country This is as useful as saying both South Korea and North Korea have the policy that South Korea and North Korea are the same country. Which was actually true until a few years ago.
- yogthos 4mo ago
  And just like in the case of Taiwan, they would be the same country if not for US invasion and continued occupation of the south. That's not hyperbole by the way, the military in the south is literally under US command.
  - bulbar 4mo ago
    It's still a misleading characterization of the situation.
    - bit-anarchist 4mo ago
      It isn't misleading. It's plain wrong.
      - yogthos 4mo ago
        Do explain which part is wrong. Are you not aware of the fact that the US controls the military in occupied Korea? https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/defense/20260511/defense-chiefs-of-korea-us-to-hold-talks-amid-opcon-transfer-push-hormuz-ship-issue https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/defense/20260511/def... When a foreign power controls a military of another nation, that's literally what occupation is.
        bit-anarchist 4mo ago
        For starters, Taiwan wasn't invaded nor occupied by the US. South Korea wasn't invaded by the US either, unless you want to say the Soviet Union invaded the North. Even so, that would be, at least, an innacurate description of the events. Furthermore, the technical definition for "military occupation", according to Hague Convention, S.3 Art.43: Territory is considered occupied when it is actually placed under the authority of the hostile army. The occupation extends only to the territory where such authority has been established and can be exercised. US is not a hostile army nor has established authority over SK's government and/or territory. In fact, US only controls the SK's army during wartime, which is not the case currently. The link you cite says US and SK are meeting together to negotiate the transition of wartime OPCON to SK as well, and US seems willing, even with Trump in power.
        yogthos 4mo ago
        For starters, Taiwan is a province of China where US currently sells weapons and has political capture. This would be akin to China placing weapons in Texas and openly supporting separatism there. Second, the US absolutely did invade Korea. In September 1945, the US Army Military Government in Korea (USAMGIK) took over the southern half of the peninsula. It ruled for three full years, outlawed local people's committees, and kept using the old Japanese colonial bureaucracy. That is a textbook military occupation. When the Korean War broke out in 1950, the US provided 90 percent of all combat forces and placed the South Korean military under the operational control of an American general. There weren't even any elections under the occupation until the late 80s. It was a literal dictatorship. That control has never truly gone away. Today, South Korea is under de facto US military occupation. The US runs Camp Humphreys, the largest overseas US base on the planet, with its own postal service and currency. More importantly, the US controlled Combined Forces Command holds wartime operational control over the entire South Korean military. If fighting resumes, Seoul's army does not answer to Seoul, but to a four star American general. And a US dominated UN Command still publicly dictates what South Korea's parliament can legislate near the DMZ.
bit-anarchist 4mo ago
I would add, however, the modern sentiment of the Taiwanese people is moving towards independence: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2023/09/02/2003805648 https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2023/09/02/... In fact, both the majority of the Taiwanese people and the current government are against unification.

kirab 4mo ago

> Taiwan policy is that China and Taiwan are the same country This is as useful as saying both South Korea and North Korea have the policy that South Korea and North Korea are the same country. Which was actually true until a few years ago.

yogthos 4mo ago
And just like in the case of Taiwan, they would be the same country if not for US invasion and continued occupation of the south. That's not hyperbole by the way, the military in the south is literally under US command.
- bulbar 4mo ago
  It's still a misleading characterization of the situation.
  - bit-anarchist 4mo ago
    It isn't misleading. It's plain wrong.
    - yogthos 4mo ago
      Do explain which part is wrong. Are you not aware of the fact that the US controls the military in occupied Korea? https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/defense/20260511/defense-chiefs-of-korea-us-to-hold-talks-amid-opcon-transfer-push-hormuz-ship-issue https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/defense/20260511/def... When a foreign power controls a military of another nation, that's literally what occupation is.
      - bit-anarchist 4mo ago
        For starters, Taiwan wasn't invaded nor occupied by the US. South Korea wasn't invaded by the US either, unless you want to say the Soviet Union invaded the North. Even so, that would be, at least, an innacurate description of the events. Furthermore, the technical definition for "military occupation", according to Hague Convention, S.3 Art.43: Territory is considered occupied when it is actually placed under the authority of the hostile army. The occupation extends only to the territory where such authority has been established and can be exercised. US is not a hostile army nor has established authority over SK's government and/or territory. In fact, US only controls the SK's army during wartime, which is not the case currently. The link you cite says US and SK are meeting together to negotiate the transition of wartime OPCON to SK as well, and US seems willing, even with Trump in power.
        yogthos 4mo ago
        For starters, Taiwan is a province of China where US currently sells weapons and has political capture. This would be akin to China placing weapons in Texas and openly supporting separatism there. Second, the US absolutely did invade Korea. In September 1945, the US Army Military Government in Korea (USAMGIK) took over the southern half of the peninsula. It ruled for three full years, outlawed local people's committees, and kept using the old Japanese colonial bureaucracy. That is a textbook military occupation. When the Korean War broke out in 1950, the US provided 90 percent of all combat forces and placed the South Korean military under the operational control of an American general. There weren't even any elections under the occupation until the late 80s. It was a literal dictatorship. That control has never truly gone away. Today, South Korea is under de facto US military occupation. The US runs Camp Humphreys, the largest overseas US base on the planet, with its own postal service and currency. More importantly, the US controlled Combined Forces Command holds wartime operational control over the entire South Korean military. If fighting resumes, Seoul's army does not answer to Seoul, but to a four star American general. And a US dominated UN Command still publicly dictates what South Korea's parliament can legislate near the DMZ.

bit-anarchist 4mo ago

I would add, however, the modern sentiment of the Taiwanese people is moving towards independence: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2023/09/02/2003805648 https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2023/09/02/... In fact, both the majority of the Taiwanese people and the current government are against unification.