this post was submitted on 18 Jan 2026
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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/49224731

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China’s ambassador to Australia has urged Canberra to prepare for dealing with a “reunified China”, declaring Chinese people “will not forgive” countries that seek to obstruct Beijing’s push to bring Taiwan under its control.

In remarks that frame re­unification as inevitable and resistance as unforgivable, Xiao Qian likened Taiwan’s status to that of Tasmania and warned that any attempt of “compromising or openly distorting” Beijing’s one-China principle would constitute a retreat from prior commitments and erode trust.

He said Australia could not keep reaping the benefits of trade with China while seeking to block reunification, signalling economic consequences for ­resisting Beijing’s aims.

[...]

Mr Xiao also lashed a recent [Australian] Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade statement that described China’s military and coast guard drills around Taiwan as “deeply concerning, destabilising and risk inflaming regional tensions”, and reiterated that Canberra opposed any unilateral attempt to change the status quo.

[...]

He also cautioned governments, including Australia’s, against pursuing dialogue on Taiwan unless they were committed to reunification.

[...]

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[–] despite_velasquez@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Just because you come from a failed state that is trying to max out on all the evil stats doesn't mean that's the bar for ethnic nationalism.

Decentre yourself a bit, you yank, and stop thinking about everything through either a US-centric Orientalisation lens.

Proclaiming that Taiwan must be annexed to "build the family across the Strait" "兩岸一家親" and that the only way national rejuvenation can be achieved is through annexation is ethno-nationalist and no different to the "Blood and Soil" concept the Nazis had. I'm hoping you can open your mind a second and realise I'm not talking about the "defence against the US" angle for annexing Taiwan, but specifically the extenisve use of ethnic links and family lingo to justify annexation.

I'm not even saying this as exaggeration, many Chinese are dumbfounded when they travel to Malaysia or Singapore and find that locals despise them for calling them "compatriots". Dude is literally using 同胞, not like comrade, literally co-national.

[–] frisbird@lemmy.ml -4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Decentre yourself a bit, you yank, and stop thinking about everything through either a US-centric Orientalisation lens.

the only way national rejuvenation can be achieved is through annexation is ethno-nationalist and no different to the "Blood and Soil" concept the Nazis had.

Man. Talk about dissonance. Which is it? Are we comparing China to white supremacist fascists or are we decentering ourselves and considering the Chinese context for what it is.

The idea that healing from a civil war is ethno-nationalism akin to the Third Reich is completely and utterly ridiculous. The situation with Taiwan is not about nationalism, it's about literally healing the wounds between families that were caught on opposite sides of a civil war. It's about healing from the 40 year white terror on Taiwan committee by Chiang Kai-shek.

[I am talking about] specifically the extenisve use of ethnic links and family lingo to justify annexation.

So your issue is that the rhetoric is focusing on the shared aspects of the peoples as opposed to focusing on things like violence, dominion, divine right, might makes right, or some other form of justification? Like what are you even saying? You want to ignore the fact that China has legitimate security interests being threatened by the US operating Taiwan as a foreign base but you want to claim that peaceful reunification rhetoric focused on shared aspects of the people reminds you of the Nazi rhetoric that invented a new white race (Aryan) and a whole mystical system of ascendance and ranking that justified their enslavement, genociding, and occupation of the lesser races like the Slavs, Jews, and Romas?

Like, are you serious and just haven't dealt with your cognitive dissonance or are you just being totally disingenuous and don't think anyone can call you on it?

[–] despite_velasquez@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Families that were caught on opposite sides? You mean the ROC soldiers that occupied Taiwan after losing the Civil War? Yeah, there's ample channels currently for that, I don't shed tears for waishengren occupiers sorry.

Point is, you don't have any skin in the game, you're LARP-ing as a revolutionary because you're pissed at the US currently. I get you, sorta. But I ain't buying the "principled anti-imperialist" facade.

[–] frisbird@lemmy.ml -5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Yes, so you clearly don't agree that the KMT had any material claim to being a legitimate government and the Japanese claim was an imperialist one. So undoing both of those leaves us with Taiwan being a province of China and China being under the governance of the CPC and the protection of the PLA. I am glad we agree.

You're in England. You live in the old heart of the empire. You're with the very people who subjugated China with gun boat diplomacy and spent the last 300 years, at least, producing anti-Chinese propaganda. I know you want to claim some form of supremacy that allows you to dismiss valid critique as revolutionary LARPing, but that's not actually addressing anything other than your inability to formulate meaningful responses.

[–] despite_velasquez@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

No it fucking doesn't. The PRC's sole claim to Taiwan hinges on the civil war framework and the succession of states, which only works if the ROC has sovereignty over Taiwan (shocker: they don't, Taiwan and Pescadores were put under ROC administrative control only after Japan surrendered).

I love how confidently wrong you are about most things you discuss here, including where I'm from and my ethnicity. I find it amusing. Maybe try again, third time it's the charm

[–] frisbird@lemmy.ml 0 points 1 day ago

Oh you're Romanian, my mistake.

The idea that Japan being defeated and the treaty canceled means Taiwan somehow doesn't revert back to it's 400-year status as a Chinese province is some gymnastics, my friend. It's pretty obvious that's how it works to everyone except Sinophobes and anti-communists. The Sinophobes are funny because they forget the inhabitants of Taiwan are Chinese.

What's also funny is that you people think the ROC, the PRC, and China under the Qing Dynasty are separate countries with separate sovereign claims. There is a single country called China, it organized itself in different ways throughout history. It is internationally recognized as a single country. When the Qing Dynasty ended and China organized under the ROC, it still had to abide by treaties signed by the dynasty because that's how these things work.

You have to discard so much historical precedent and cherry pick and twist so many facts to arrive at your conclusions, it's a wonder you all can keep your whole script straight.

I love the idea that Taiwan isn't China because China wasn't under the same government when it lost it to imperialism. I've seen that from one or two other posters here before . It's some prime propaganda. But no. It doesn't work. You'll have to drop it from your strategy eventually.