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submitted 4 days ago by schizoidman@lemmy.zip to c/world@lemmy.world
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It's literally a part of China that was conquered by the Japanese and then by the Americans when they took over Japan. This is pretty straightforward.

[-] smiletolerantly@awful.systems 21 points 4 days ago

And yet, today, Taiwan is a sovereign state and wants to keep it that way, which is the only thing that matters here. This is pretty straightforward.

[-] SpookyBogMonster@lemmy.ml 5 points 3 days ago

The vocab word of the day is 'Finlandization'. The term comes from the fate of Finland after the Winter War with the USSR. It remained a sovereign state, in control of its own domestic affairs, but had its foreign policy making ability neutered in the post-war peace.

Taiwan is, de-facto, a sovereign state, despite recognition being limited, re: the one-China policy. This lack of recognition, however, means that Taiwan is highly limited in the foreign policy decisions it can make.

Generally speaking, Taiwan is in the orbit of US geopolitical interests. It produces Electronics components largely for western markets, and it's proximity to China makes it a strategic asset. So, if Taiwan decided to break off relations with the US, or enter into some kind of federation agreement with mainland China (things that are unlikely, but let's pretend they were to happen for a moment), such a thing would most likely not go over well. The US has carried out coups in countries for less.

So when @umbrella@lemmy.ml says Taiwan "isn't sovereign", this is what is meant.

[-] umbrella@lemmy.ml 4 points 3 days ago

Generally speaking, Taiwan is in the orbit of US geopolitical interests. It produces Electronics components largely for western markets, and it’s proximity to China makes it a strategic asset.

The US has carried out coups in countries for less.

could not have put it better myself.

[-] umbrella@lemmy.ml 4 points 4 days ago
[-] stephen01king@piefed.zip 14 points 4 days ago

Are you using words without knowing its meaning?

[-] umbrella@lemmy.ml 3 points 4 days ago

are you judging words without knowing their meaning?

[-] Tuuktuuk@nord.pub 14 points 4 days ago

Okay, so, are you saying that Taiwan does not have its own government that decides about its things?

[-] umbrella@lemmy.ml 4 points 4 days ago

no, i'm saying taiwan is controlled by western interests. not very unlike my own country.

[-] Tuuktuuk@nord.pub 9 points 4 days ago

So, in your own country you don't have a government that decides about what happens in your country?

[-] umbrella@lemmy.ml 4 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

having a government doesn't make a country free.

many africans would like a word, mostly against the french. south americans against the us...

[-] Tuuktuuk@nord.pub 4 points 4 days ago

We were talking about sovereignty here, not freedom.

[-] umbrella@lemmy.ml 4 points 3 days ago

you need freedom to have sovereignty

[-] Tuuktuuk@nord.pub 1 points 3 days ago

That would mean that China is not sovereign 🤔

[-] umbrella@lemmy.ml 1 points 3 days ago
[-] Tuuktuuk@nord.pub 1 points 3 days ago

Misrepresent what?

[-] miseducator@lemmy.world 7 points 4 days ago

Jackass tankies just can't help themselves when someone mentions Taiwan being a self-governing body. Get a life and maybe try a lobotomy.

[-] ylph@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Taiwan was conquered by China as well, in the 1680s. Taiwan was colonized by China only after it was colonized by Europeans (who arrived in early 1600s) - for most of its history it was inhabited by native non-Han aboriginals, who resisted both Chinese and Japanese attempts to settle the island in the 1500s.

Even after the Qing incorporated Taiwan into China, they didn't control the full territory - they largely left most of the mountainous areas inhabited by the aboriginals alone until late 1800s.

Qing gave Taiwan away to Japan in a treaty in 1895 btw - Japan didn't conquer the island militarily. The local population at the time wasn't happy about it, and even declared an independent Republic of Formosa to try to resist the Japanese colonization after being abandoned by Qing China, with tens of thousands of Taiwanese giving their lives fighting the Japanese.

America didn't conquer the island either - they forced Japan to surrender and give up claim to the island. With Chinese civil war breaking out, the issue of Taiwan was never fully resolved after the war, with ROC assuming control as presumed successor state of the Qing - nobody really asked the Taiwanese yet again what they wanted.

Taiwanese people should finally have the final word about their own country and sovereignty - they have their own unique history, culture and identity - Taiwan shouldn't be a plaything of empires and their imperial ambitions, be it China, Japan, America or Europe.

this post was submitted on 18 Feb 2026
107 points (100.0% liked)

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