Peaceful unity across the Taiwan Straits is possible

Editor's note: Keith Lamb, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is a University of Oxford graduate with a Master of Science in Contemporary Chinese Studies. His primary research interests are China's international relations and "socialism with Chinese characteristics." The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

"There are no knots that cannot be untied, no issues that cannot be discussed, and no force that can separate us." These were General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping's words when recently meeting Ma Ying-jeou, former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang party, who led a delegation of 20 university students from the Taiwan region to the Chinese mainland.

Knots refers to the myriad of contradictions between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, which, while recognized by most countries around the world as part of China, remains separated by different political-economic systems. The fact that these knots can be untied suggests that no matter how complex the situation is, the mainland will patiently work to resolve any issue. Furthermore, if all issues can be discussed, conflict can be avoided. Xi's assertion that "no force can separate us" speaks to the unity between the people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits who must weather all storms, all separatist forces, and all foreign interference.

Xi and Ma's meeting refutes the China threat narrative, which untruthfully presents Taiwan as an independent state that the mainland wishes to annex by force. The mainland is patient, despite provocations by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), such as rejecting the 1992 Consensus that there is "one China," and hosting Nancy Pelosi, the then-Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, among others. The mainland has not resorted to force and continues to seek dialogue. Indeed, legitimate force would only be likely as a last resort to red-line secessionism that declares formal "Taiwan independence."

Ma, a patriot committed to the one China principle, is conscious that independence would lead to conflict – a disaster that would be "an unbearable burden for the Chinese nation." Consequently, he understands, unlike the DPP, that the foundation for cross-Straits disputes must be peaceful dialogue, which places the interests of the people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits first.

Under Ma's leadership, despite differences with the mainland, he nevertheless carefully trod the path to closer ties. There were no major controversies; 23 agreements were signed with the mainland, and there were around eight million cross-Straits visits per year, which fostered closer people-to-people relations.

While the mainland and Taiwan have different systems, this doesn't mean the two sides are separate. They share a long history and culture, familial ties, and a shared language. This common ground must be recognized to create a shared unity to build reunification.

Having lived for over 10 years in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province, I have many friends on both sides of the Taiwan Straits with diverse political views. My first-hand experience of those who support "Taiwan independence" usually comes from those who have never traveled to the mainland and are unaware of the miraculous achievements the mainland continues to make every year.

Their position, heavily influenced by corporate media, boils down to ideology and identity politics. They blamed the mainland's poverty on its governing system and looked West for their politics, modernization, and identity. However, with the mainland eradicating extreme poverty and building a modern socialist economy, it has proved itself capable of carrying out the will of the Chinese people. People in Taiwan can feel pride in the mainland's achievements and share a modern Chinese identity.

Left on the table is Taiwan's identity but this only remains if one subscribes to the limiting narrative of the Western nation-state and remains ignorant of the proud diversity of the Chinese nation. True, Taiwan has a unique local culture where in addition to Mandarin, Southern Min dialects, or "Minnanhua," is spoken. However, travel the breadth of China and one will find that this is the norm – local languages and dialects exist even at the minute county level.

Indeed, Minnanhua is also ubiquitous in Fujian, facing Taiwan, as are many aspects of regional culture, such as architecture, Buddhism, and Bobing – a tradition of rolling dice for prizes that coincides with the Mid-Autumn Festival.

This unity and shared diversity is well understood by the hundreds of thousands of young people from Taiwan working and studying on the mainland, by families that span the Taiwan Straits, and by Taiwan's businesses that have been integral to the Chinese miracle, which has required constant efforts over generations for China's peaceful rise and must continue.

With Ma bringing youth from Taiwan to numerous provinces, this advances the aforementioned Chinese identity that Taiwan is part of. It allows them to witness the ingenuity, and it kindles friendships that defy attempts to pit them against their mainland brethren. Needless to say, the number of these exchanges must grow so that they act as a democratic force for peaceful reunification.

Taiwan's youth are key for peaceful reunification because firstly, they have been subjected to a limiting process of undermining their own identity through aping the West and convincing them that their diversity – the Chinese norm – provides potential for independence. This identity is further bolstered through a false image of a backward and undemocratic mainland, which Taiwan's youth are encouraged to rebel against. 

Secondly, China's laudable avoidance of conflict, which is evident in its peaceful rise and foreign policy, suggests that reunification will also be a patient ongoing process that once started will continue for generations – requiring the vitality of both the youth of today and the youth to come.

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