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In Taiwan, friends are starting to turn against each other
Fight China or make peace? The question that bedevils Taiwan.
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The threat of Chinese aggression, and how to confront it, is dividing Taiwan’s society.
PHOTO: AFP
Lung Yingtai
TAITUNG, Taiwan - A friend of mine in Taipei recently wrote a passionate Facebook post urging young people in Taiwan to prepare for war with China. The only way to respond to Chinese threats to seize the island was, he argued, with strength; anything else was a delusion. Despite being in his 60s, he vowed to take up arms if necessary.
It’s become a troublingly common sentiment in Taiwan, and I messaged him privately to say that strength should be only a part of Taiwan’s strategy, that our politicians and other public figures should show true courage by reaching out to China to somehow de-escalate. When a stronger bully threatens you, shouldn’t you first try to defuse the situation?
