Taiwan prepares for Chinese repression

The island of Taiwan is self-governed and democratic. For China, however, it represents a breakaway region - because the People's Republic insists on its "one-China policy". According to the Chinese understanding, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the island state Taiwan therefore belong to the People's Republic. Young Taiwanese in particular see it differently - they see Taiwan as a separate, independent country. "The young Taiwanese find it difficult to imagine that they will have to live under Chinese rule," explains Yen-Chi Lu, research assistant at the University of Bonn. The political scientist came to Germany from Taiwan nine years ago. In the ntv podcast "Another thing learned", he explains that the younger generation of Taiwanese in particular has a strong Taiwanese identity. "You can see a very clear difference between the younger generation and the older generation of Taiwanese. The younger generation is more critical of China because they grew up in a democratic society," said Lu. However, China wants to prevent Taiwan's independence at all costs. In the rest of the world, only 14 governments and the Vatican recognize the island state as an independent country. The fear of provoking China is too great. The example of H&M shows what happens when you criticize China. The well-known fashion chain had drawn attention to the Chinese human rights violations against the Uyghur minority. In response, the People's Republic has closed all H&M branches in China. Private individuals like Yen-Chi Lu also feel the pressure and influence of China again and again. "As a political scientist, for example, I cannot apply for a job at the UN because I have a Taiwanese passport. And it is not recognized. So I do not get access to the UN and I cannot contribute anything," said Yen-Chi Lu. The incidents in Hong Kong are another deterrent example for many Taiwanese. There, the People's Republic brutally suppressed democratic protests, threw demonstrators into jail and shut down newspapers critical of the government such as the "Apple Daily". Taiwan fears total surveillance and control from Beijing. Experts such as Maximilian Mayer therefore consider a peaceful unification of China and Taiwan to be unlikely. "In the foreseeable future, I don't think that there can be a merger. Because the interests, but also the self-image on the Taiwanese side and on the side of mainland China, diverge widely. In Taiwan, they have an increasing tendency to see themselves as an independent unit and at the same time there is actually more and more impatience on the mainland and the idea of ​​bringing about a reunification, if necessary, with force, "explains the junior professor for international relations and global technology policy at the University of Bonn.