Taiwan should declare independence by adopting the US Constitution and daring America to live up to its own values. A cheeky geopolitical thought experiment with a rapid-fire history of US-China-Taiwan relations.
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So the USA has been straddling the 1-China vs. 2-China problem for over 30 years.
1800-1930: US and Britain sold opium to China for 100 years — often at gunpoint — "Opium Wars" many rebellions.
1870-1945: Foreign powers (UK, USA, Germany, Russia, Japan) vie to chop up China into zones of control.
1920-1940: US and UK cleverly manipulate capital ship building rules to efficiently cover the Pacific. UK leaves US to handle Pacific — including defending Australia.
1930-1955: Civil wars tear China apart with foreign powers supplying whoever is their puppet.
1925-1940: US grants chunks of China to Japan in an attempt to control Japan's appetite at the Imperial dinner table.
WW2.
1945: Japan takes a rest.
1950s: Japan gets rich making weapons to kill Koreans from US taxpayer money.
1953: Cease-fire in Korea — lasts until today.
1950-60s: Mao wins the genocide high-score for the 20th century.
1950s: Fascist a-holes invade Taiwan with 600,000 troops, tons of gold and a boatload of art — kills many natives.
1950s-1980s: Taiwan threatens to invade China. China threatens to invade Taiwan.
1972: US switches from recognizing the Taiwan flavor of China and recognized the China flavor of China.
1980-current: Every known manufactured item that is cheap is produced in China.
1980-2000: Taiwan and Korea develop an electronics industry.
1990-current: Said electronics industry moves to China.
Current: China tosses missiles over Taiwan.
Current: Taiwan tosses artillery shells back loaded with women's underwear to demoralize the Chinese (true!).
Current: Taiwan boasts one of the best defended air bases in the world.
Current: China has nil in terms of amphibious assault but an unlimited number of infantry.
I think Taiwan should be a free and separate country as to me it is self-evident that they are independent. Separate currency, separate language (Taiwanese), separate legal code, separate military, own set of "embassies," etc. All they lack is their own Olympic Team.
To actually be free I think Taiwan should take advantage of the carefully cultivated impression that W. Bush has developed that he is capable of any sort of war if it has a moral wrapper.
To pull this off I think the President of Taiwan should hold up the US Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution and declare that Taiwan is a free and independent country that has adopted these two cherished documents (with the obvious search and replace) and that they expect that the UN, the US, and NATO protect their independence due to such a loyal adherence to the best constitution on the planet and for the faithful service performed for the USA for the last 30 years.
If China attacked as a result, I do not see how Bush couldn't defend Taiwan as that has been the stated promise for the last 30 years, plus here is a small country being attacked by a larger country whose only crime is that they want to be free and to be like us. How could we turn that down?
-Erik
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Published: January 6, 2004 12:00 AM
Last updated: March 9, 2026 6:47 AM
Post ID: ff0cf217-f0a0-4b97-b0d7-152e6cad7c56