Xi tells Taiwan opposition leader people on both sides of strait are Chinese in rare meeting
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/10/xi-jinping-cheng-li-wu-china-taiwan-meeting-bejing
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/10/xi-jinping-cheng-li-wu-china-taiwan-meeting-bejing
64 Comments
Buffalox@lemmy.world · 58 pts · 166d
Isn't that pretty much what Putin said about Ukraine before invading?
TheLunatickle@lemmy.zip · 40 pts · 166d
It's a common scheme, Authoritarian claims people in neighbouring country are ethnically/culturally the same as them, accuses the target country of suppressing "their" people, invades to "Protect" "their" people. Rinse and repeat.
Tolc@lemmy.world · -34 pts · 166d
Its hilarous how liberal just throw the term authoritarian whenever they like
how many country the non authoritarians have invaded?
Cypher@aussie.zone · 19 pts · 166d
Invading countries is not the metric by which an individual or government are determined to be authoritarian.
It helps if you have even the vaguest clue as to the meaning of a word before you object to its use.
Tolc@lemmy.world · -22 pts · 165d
It would also be helpful if libs stop using the term authoritarian if the govt doesnt hold show elections every 4 years
SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.de · 27 pts · 166d
I also don't think it's anything new?
I'm not sure deep into the details of taiwan and china, but iirc they both more or less agree that they are "the china", and just disagree on the exact details
marxismtomorrow@lemmy.today · -13 pts · 165d
Aurenkin@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 165d
As someone who actually lived in Taiwan, this is utter bullshit.
T00l_shed@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 165d
The Taiwanese, not "Taiwanese" we dont say the "mainland chinese", we say mainland chinese
marxismtomorrow@lemmy.today · -3 pts · 165d
T00l_shed@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 165d
Sounds like your just giving the Chinese talking points weight.
vga@sopuli.xyz · 26 pts · 166d
Also Hitler called Austrians German before annexing them.
tootoughtoremember@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 165d
Well he was Austrian, not super surprising he felt that way about it.
Gates9@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 166d
Idk but I believe the pretext was ethnically “Russian” people living in Ukrainian territories. It is true that the two countries share a great deal of ethnic heritage. The Rus people were from Kyiv.
Buffalox@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 166d
No it was nothing of the kind. He claimed Ukrainians were basically Russian, that is not about Russian minorities.
Gates9@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 166d
I think we’re splitting hairs. We agree that Putin is just using the subject of ethnicity as a tool for conquest.
Buffalox@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 166d
Yes, Putin will use any misinformation and manipulation he can, including making a terrorist attack and blame it on others to promote his agenda. That is how he came to power!
Gates9@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 166d
Chechnya?
Buffalox@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 166d
Yes
prex@aussie.zone · 1 pts · 166d
A common misunderstanding: Putin wants a piece of Ukraine. Quite a big piece, well all of it really.
Tolc@lemmy.world · -19 pts · 166d
why are you mad?
Gates9@sh.itjust.works · 15 pts · 166d
Is this controversial? Don’t people in Taiwan consider themselves Chinese? Republic of China?
poVoq@slrpnk.net · 12 pts · 166d
No, that is only the official line due to history and political pressure from China.
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_on_Taiwanese_identity
marxismtomorrow@lemmy.today · -12 pts · 165d
poVoq@slrpnk.net · 8 pts · 165d
I am referring to the opinion of the current inhabitants of Taiwan as expressed in opinion polls.
marxismtomorrow@lemmy.today · -12 pts · 165d
poVoq@slrpnk.net · 8 pts · 165d
Lol, what are you even talking about? Since 20 years the opinion polls are clear: The majority of the people living in Taiwan consider themselves Taiwanese. There is a somewhat large minority that considers themselves both Taiwanese and Chinese, but when asked to choose between the two the people of Taiwan overwhelmingly (like 90%) prefer to call themselves Taiwanese.
Edit: but it looks like I am replying to a fresh Tankie sockpuppet account, so I guess no need to bother 🤦
ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 165d
They're just referring to the martial law and white terror period that existed on the island for almost 4 decades. But it's been almost as long since than it lasted.
It's a pretty important period for Taiwan, but interestingly enough this shows that the people of Taiwan today are less inclined to maintain that stance despite that history.
However I wager that's likely due to a rejection of association with the PRC than an identification with being Taiwanese alone.
marxismtomorrow@lemmy.today · -8 pts · 165d
poVoq@slrpnk.net · 3 pts · 165d
People can have one opinion and still prefer to vote against it given the likely consequence of the imperialist neighbor attacking them 🤷
jj4211@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 165d
I don't know what you are getting at, of the people who come over from China and Taiwan that I talk to, no one believes that the two are one "nation" with different opinions on who is the authority. They may believe there's not a distinct cultural identity but none think the "no, there's only one China and onlywe are the real China" is a thing in practice, just a political formality.
The ones from China do say they wouldn't push their luck expressing that publicly, and one went so far as to borrow a computer to log into without any association with them because they were paranoid about using their laptop issued to them with the Chinese employer preload. He wanted to read some Wikipedia the way an American sees it while he was over on business.
Tangentially, another one from China was super excited to try to get someone to get him a gun to shoot. We did manage to hook him up with a gun range.
blackbeans@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 165d
They don't consider themselves Chinese. But they have Chinese roots, with the vast majority of people having Chinese ancestry.
electric_nan@lemmy.ml · 5 pts · 165d
No shit? The party line in Taiwan is the exact same as it is in mainland China: one China. The disagreement is over who is in charge. When you get off anplane in Taipei, you see a sign "Welcome to the Republic of China". When you get off the plane in Beijing, you see a sign that says "Welcome to the Peoples' Republic of China".
greenbit@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 165d
Hopefully the people of Chinas can break free
liuther9@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 165d
From what
electric_nan@lemmy.ml · -1 pts · 165d
I think most people in China are happier than most people in the US.
greenbit@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 165d
Happier AND free would be better
electric_nan@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 165d
I don't think they feel unfree.
greenbit@lemmy.zip · 0 pts · 165d
That's an issue practically everywhere
liuther9@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 165d
Authoritarian Chinese gov is better overall, more progressive in R and D, and closer to socialism than USrael gov
ArgumentativeMonotheist@lemmy.world · -9 pts · 165d
I mean, they certainly aren't American or Japanese or whatever Westerners would like to believe.
Pacattack57@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 165d
You’re correct. They’re Taiwanese.
Tolc@lemmy.world · -23 pts · 166d
Liberals seething
traxex@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 7 pts · 166d
I imagine the people of Taiwan are also pretty pissed. But that doesn’t matter to you, does it?
voaw@lemmy.world · -8 pts · 166d
The “government” of Taiwan is the equivalent of if MAGA invaded Hawaii and claimed that the rest of the continental US was now called Hawaii and ruled by them. The Taiwanese govt is a historically far-right US puppet govt that is one of the biggest supporters of Israel and its genocide. And according to polling in Taiwan, less than 30% of Taiwanese people want independence from China.
https://www.inss.org.il/publication/israel-taiwan-2025/
https://esc.nccu.edu.tw/PageDoc/Detail?fid=7801&id=6963
traxex@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 165d
They no longer bid for ownership over the mainland. I think that ended in the 90s, so that is just irrelevant. Secondly, your one poll still has the majority maintaining status quo, which in conjunction with the poll I already posted, means the majority of people just want to keep going with what they got, which is currently NOT unified with China. They also consider themselves Taiwanese in a majority.
voaw@lemmy.world · -1 pts · 165d
Again <30% want independence from China
traxex@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 165d
It’s about 25%. Which is quite a lot when the second largest group is just keeping the status quo, no reunification.
Tolc@lemmy.world · -16 pts · 166d
I dont think so, what Xi said is objective fact and people of both sides consider themselves chinese
traxex@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 5 pts · 166d
Not sure that’s a fact and it’s crazy that you would say that without any sort of source.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan_independence_movement has a different outlook. Putting 50% at independence and a sub 15% wanting reunification. So what do you say to actual facts?
Tolc@lemmy.world · -17 pts · 166d
its called republic of CHINA
Jumi@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 166d
Oh, and North Korea or Democratic People's Republic of Korea is democratic, for the people by the people and a republic or what?
Tolc@lemmy.world · -8 pts · 165d
Both countries claim the heritage of China
traxex@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 6 pts · 165d
Are you illiterate? Genuine question.
forrgott@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 165d
Well, close, they're pretty clearly a tankie. So, same diff?
Tolc@lemmy.world · -5 pts · 165d
No
salty_mariner@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 165d
Tolc is a dude who doesn't understand the language and culture and uses AI to translate anything in the language of the people who live there. He's just mad no one buys his BS.
He's so angry lol
Tolc@lemmy.world · -4 pts · 165d
cope
salty_mariner@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 166d
I mean... It says otherwise in the article lol
Tolc@lemmy.world · -13 pts · 166d
it doesnt
salty_mariner@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 166d
Lol. Ok. Not my fault if reading comprehension and clicking the links in the article is too much for you.
Tolc@lemmy.world · -11 pts · 166d
ok bud
salty_mariner@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 165d
As we would say, 不知所云
But you don't speak the language... Do you?