[em2vn]

China is counting on our 2008 election to give them the green light for the invasion of Taiwan.

[StoneWall Brigade]

Looks like it

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

A related article with twelve comments:
China's fury at Chen's Taiwan call (from the BBC).

[mc6809e]

The only way out for both countries is for Taiwan to offer cash for the island and for China to accept. That way China doesn't lose any face and Taiwan gets what it wants.

[zarf]

Taiwan should go for it right before the Olympics.

[Steel Wolf]

I posted this on another thread, but I'm wondering what you all think about this. A number of seemingly unrelated events is taking place. * New York: North Korean officials arrived in New York over the weekend for discussions on normalizing relations with the U.S.. An unusually accomodating move on our part.

* Taipei: Chen Shui Bian announces the need for Taiwan to seek membership at the U.N. as an independent nation, and renounce their links to China. A dangerous move almost certainly telegraphed to Beijing and Washington in advance.

* Pyongyang: Hu Jintao delivers a message in person to Kim Jong Il at the Chinese embassy. An unusually direct move on the part of China.

Folks, something is going on here. A high level poker game that we're starting to see the edges of. With 2008 looming as a hard time, for a number of reasons, we're entering into a hazardous stretch of months.

[sine_nomine]

The new book on Mao says that Kissinger, upon visiting China the first time, offered to give away Taiwan and take all our troops out of Korea.

[papertyger]

I'll take those prayers ping!

[JohnnyZ]

"Chen's speech was an attempt to suppress former president Lee Tung-hui's recent remarks that Taiwan is already independent," said Chang Jung-kung,executive director of the KMT's policy coordination department, at a separate event last night.

Lee Tung-hui should go down as the country's greatest statesman.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

New related thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1795863/posts.