Lai Ching-te argues the reverse may be true because the Republic of China – the mantle that nationalists carried with them to Taiwan – predates the communist People’s Republic

It is “impossible” for the People’s Republic of China to become Taiwan’s motherland because Taiwan has older political roots, the island’s president has said.

Lai Ching-te, who took office in May, is condemned by Beijing as a separatist. He rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, saying the island is a country called the Republic of China that traces its origins back to the 1911 revolution overthrowing the last imperial dynasty.

The Chinese nationalist government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong’s communists. Mao set up the People’s Republic of China, which continues to claim self-governed Taiwan as its territory.

    • Furball@sh.itjust.works
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      2 months ago

      I haven’t closely followed Taiwanese politics but I’m pretty sure the DPP (his party) is largely supported by the indigenous people

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldM
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        2 months ago

        It’s more the “motherland” claim. Most indigenous Americans support the U.S. government. They’ll even sometimes proudly fight for America in the U.S. military. That doesn’t mean they’d appreciate it if Trump or Biden said that the U.S. was the motherland of white people.

        • Furball@sh.itjust.works
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          2 months ago

          The thing is, he’s directly saying that China isn’t their motherland because their government was born first. He’s saying that although their government used to control China, its home is Taiwan now. The DPP is against the idea of reclaiming the mainland or claiming too much heritage or symbolism from the mainland as they are the pro-independence party in Taiwan

          • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldM
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            2 months ago

            Like I said, I kind of get what he’s saying. I just don’t know that it was put well. Maybe it works better in Chinese and it’s just a translation thing.

    • MicroWave@lemmy.worldOP
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      2 months ago

      Not entirely sure what you’re getting at. Are you suggesting that Taiwanese Indigenous people might have a problem that the Republic of China (Taiwan) is older than the PRC?

    • The Octonaut@mander.xyz
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      2 months ago

      Yeah it’s disgraceful that people from the mainland forced out of their homes by war and prejudice have in turn set up a colonial state that oppresses, marginalised and usurped the national status of the people Indigenous to the area. If only they weren’t treated as American allies just so they act as a counterbalance to the regional power.

  • jaschen@lemm.ee
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    2 months ago

    I’m in Taiwan and I’m just a single voice. Lai isn’t wrong. Our republic is longer, but early Taiwan was pretty shitty. They continued that shittiness the nationalist was doing back in the mainland up until the 90s when we had our first Democratic elections.

    Today’s Taiwan was nothing like the nationalist that proceeds it. We are actively taking down our old monuments of our forefathers because it was truly a bad time in our history.

    Today’s Taiwan is freaking amazing. An active government that cares about the people. Policing is done by people in the community. A school system that cares about each student and their well being. A high tax on big businesses and a low entry barrier for small businesses.

    I had a school counselor come to my door because I was not picking up random phone calls. She brought cookies and school stationery and wanted to make sure my son was ready for grade school.

    I invite anyone to come visit and experience Taiwan on their own.

    • Ferrous
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      2 months ago

      Notice the inflection point where Mao comes in.

      • Maxy@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        2 months ago

        Source: Gapminder, cited as source by the above graph as well

        Funny how much the graph changes when you have more than 1 data point per decade every decade. Almost makes me wonder whether the creator of the above graph was trying to paint a certain picture instead of presenting raw data in a way that makes it easier to grasp, without bias.

        Notice the inflection point where Mao implements the “great leap forward”. Also notice other countries’ similar rates of increasing life expectancy in the graph below, just without the same ravine around 1960.

        I’m sorry, but I have to disagree with (what I think to be) your implicit claim that Mao somehow single-handedly raised China’s life expectancy through the power of communism or whatever. Please do correct me if this wasn’t your implicit claim, and if you we’re either 1) yourself mislead by the graph you shared, or 2) you have some other claim entirely that is somehow supported by said graph.

      • v_krishna
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        2 months ago

        People forget this. Also they forget that until the 90s Taiwan was an authoritarian military state. I’ve been to Taiwan, it’s a beautiful country and the people are wonderful, but it was founded by horrific and brutal men who were rightfully chased out of mainland China (not to mention there were already lots of people living there, who like indigenous people the world around have been made second class citizens in their own lands)