[mafribe]

Why is a comparison with Scotland/UK ignorant, or deliberately muddying the waters? I'd say it would demonstrate great political maturity, if the PRC were to allow Taiwan to conduct a binding vote about independence, and accept the outcome.

It would greatly increase the PRC's standing in the world, and its soft power. Right now, basically nobody trusts the PRC, and their increasing influence is simply a consequence of their spreading money around.

[westiseast]

It’s a bad comparison because the actual, legal and historical situations are vastly different.

eg.

> if the PRC were to allow Taiwan to conduct...

Taiwan is de facto an independent country. The only extent to which the PRC can ‘allow’ or not allow something to happen in Taiwan is with the threat of invasion, which is vastly different to how the UK parliament ‘allowed’ Scotland to conduct an independence referendum.

I’m not saying that it wouldn’t be desirable for the PRC to remove the threat of military action and recognize a fair and binding referendum, but comparisons with Scotland tend to imply that Taiwan/China situation is just like UK/Scotland. Which is isn’t even slightly.

[mafribe]

I agree that the actual, legal and historical situations ROC/PRC vs UK/Scotland are quite different. I was pointing towards the similarity of a (potential) positive, peaceful resolution, -- indeed one where secession was ultimately rejected. Who knows, maybe a peaceful, gentle PRC can tempt the ROC into a peaceful union?

I should have expressed myself more clearly.

> Taiwan is de facto an independent country.

Taiwan should formally be an independent country in a just world, but de facto every political decision in Taiwan in made in the shadow of the immediate threat of PRC violence. Ultimately political power comes "from the barrel of a gun" and the PRC has a lot more barrels than the ROC.