I’m going to be frank—I don’t have any elaborate theories lined up, and I’m hesitant to offer any kind of bold predictions. Instead, I hope to offer a perspective or two from my own experiences.

Having grown up in Taiwan and received the bulk of my education there, there is no doubt that I view Taiwan as my country, and China as a related yet distinctly separate entity. UN Recognition or not, I grew up in a democratic state that functions just as well/badly as any other one. Unlike earlier Taiwanese generations who may have had roots in the mainland, my generation possessed much more similar experiences as we all grew up in a distinctly Taiwanese context where we were persistently reminded that our national identity was being challenged.

Of course, my generation was educated under a framework that was less politicized, that was more realistic and rational about China-Taiwan relations. For example, my parents grew up in an era where mainland Chinese people were referred to as “gong fei”—or “Communist bandits” literally—and their textbooks never lacked propaganda that reminded them “recovering” mainland China was just a matter of time. I have trouble recalling any of those overtly hostile themes have appeared in any of my textbooks, and gone are the days where it seemed like war could happen any given day. I don’t think it’s too far-fetched to claim that Taiwan is less disillusioned about and hostile towards China than it used to be.

However, as Taiwan became much more open and democratic over the past 20 years, so have the stark contrasts between the two political systems across the strait been further augmented. I will be the first to admit that the Taiwanese government anything but perfect; nonetheless, like any Taiwanese citizen in my generation, I grew up enjoying a certain set of rights, and it is not hard to see why I or anybody in my shoes would not react vehemently if such rights were to be muted. For that very reason alone, I find it hard to picture China, given its current political structure, attempting to intrude on Taiwan’s de facto independence in any way without expecting great, great turmoil.

This is not to say that I am so naïve as to be fully disillusioned about the possibility of Taiwan being less and less autonomous in the long-run; with cross-strait economic relationships swiftly developing and tensions easing, I can certainly see how Taiwan’s gradual reliance on Chinese markets may slowly lead to more and more concessions on Taiwan’s behalf. But to what extent will this reliance distort the status quo, and how long will it take? Given the experiences of the current Taiwanese population, I highly doubt that any form of internal political autonomy will be traded off for some economic benefits in the near future, as there are certain sentiments that are difficult, if not impossible to subdue. We continue to experience exclusion from major international bodies, we observe our Olympic athletes being unable to don our own flag, and most importantly, we are constantly reminded why. We have family or friends who sacrificed their lives to promote democracy and human rights during Taiwan’s authoritarian era, and those memories and values will continue live with us as we cherish the political freedom we possess today. I can’t (or perhaps I’d rather not) imagine the current Taiwanese population easily letting go of such experiences and forgetting what a long way we’ve come. To claim that closer ties with China will obliterate all of that, in my opinion, not only seems fairly unrealistic, but also somewhat cheapens the Taiwanese experience.

Therefore, like most Taiwanese people, I am of course more or less hesitant about Taiwan’s new relationship with China. However, knowing what makes us unique and what values we treasure, I am not so worried as to fear that Taiwan’s current relationship with China will quickly lead to nothing but total submission on Taiwan’s behalf.

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