[throwaway494932]

> The islands are Chinese.

"In June 2008, a TVBS poll found that 68% of the respondents identify themselves as "Taiwanese" while 18% would call themselves "Chinese".[33] In 2015, a poll conducted by the Taiwan Braintrust showed that about 90 percent of the population would identify themselves as Taiwanese rather than Chinese.[34]" [1]

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwanese_people

[mytailorisrich]

That is quite irrelevant in addition to being misleading.

[rob74]

The same way as Ukrainians wanting to live in an independent country is irrelevant?

[suraci]

I like thought experiment.

let's think

1. CCP took over California by force 2. CCP killed everyone who resists 3. CCP leaved, but built a puppet regime 4. The puppet regime rewrite schoolbook, taught everyone they're not American 5. 100 years later, a poll found that 68% of the respondents identify themselves as Californians

I must admit this is a bad thought experiment because Americans lives in a stolen land, it's not same as Taiwan

[ozborn]

Taiwan has an aboriginal population as well, there are very few countries where the original settlers are recognizable as the current population without squinting. China is one of the worst offenders, with the westward expansion of the Qing Empire contemporary with American westward expansion. Moreover, when America started serious decolonizing in the 20th Century (Philippines) and ending residential schools, China invaded Tibet and continues to pursue aggressive assimilation in its Western regions.

[suraci]

China is not a single-ethnicity country. For thousands of years, most of the time, the majority and minority ethnic groups have lived together on this land. There have been wars and integrations thousands times and thousans years. this must be hard for you to understand, right? I can understand that you might unconsciously use your own history to comprehend the history of Asia. In addition, all forms of ethnic separatism have the support of the United States. But I think you already know this.

BTW, the Qing Empire is rule by a minority ethnic(满族)

And, by race, we are all Asians, can you understand the difference?

You are like comparing the genocide of Native Americans to a war between two Native American tribes.

[Pet_Ant]

We wouldn't let native american tribes take each others land nowadays either.

[mytailorisrich]

Change of subject? Russia's main aim in Ukraine was/is regime change ('main' because they obviously do want to annex the Donbas), a bit like what happened in Iraq in 2003...

I did not expect to be able to seriously discuss geopolitics here, TBH, it never works and it is never possible to dig deeper. Case in point...

[rob74]

Actually I agree with you - if Russia's main aim in Ukraine was changing the regime, that would have turned Ukraine into something like Belarus, which I don't really consider independent...