Renowned Chinese Academic Tang Yonghong: 'Today's Ukraine, Tomorrow's Taiwan' Will Surely Become A Reality!

On March 13, 2022, Professor Tang Yonghong (唐永红), a deputy director of the Center for Taiwan Research of Xiamen University and a well-known CCP expert on Taiwan issues, published an article, titled "'Today's Ukraine, Tomorrow's Taiwan' is not Impossible," in the Chinese media outlet Duowei News Network.

Tang stated that, if the U.S. will continue to play the "Taiwan card" and the "Taiwan independence" forces will keep engaging in "separatist activities," Chinese warships and military aircrafts will keep encircling Taiwan. "Once the international anti-Chinese forces and the separatist forces… cross the red line drawn by the 'Anti-Secession Law', they will be annihilated and obliterated definitely by means of force from the mainland China. The so-called 'Today's Ukraine, Tomorrow's Taiwan' will surely become a reality!"

Below is the article:[1]

Tang Yonghong (Source: Huaxia.com)

'To Deal With The Enemies Who Split The Country… All Necessary Means Can Be Justified, Including Non-Peaceful Means'

"Over the past few days, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has continued to escalate, triggering grave concerns among the public opinion on the island of Taiwan. The doubts, worries, anxiety and even panic demonstrated by the Taiwanese people are reaching a frantic and boiling point on the island's social media platforms. 'Today's Ukraine, Tomorrow's Taiwan,' the catchphrase makes many people start to worry that Taiwan may turn into today's war-torn Ukraine in the future.

"I personally believe that although the Cross-Strait relations and the Taiwan Strait issue are fundamentally different from the Russia-Ukraine relationship and the Russia-Ukraine issue, today's situation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine will inevitably occur in the Taiwan Strait tomorrow if Taiwan continues to adventure down the road of independence and separation.

"I remember that the Economist, a British magazine, published a cover story with the headline of 'The Most Dangerous Place on Earth' on May 1, 2021, declaring that Taiwan was 'the most dangerous place on earth.' And as early as March of 2021, Admiral Philip Davidson, the commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, told the U.S. Congress that mainland China would resolve the Taiwan issue by means of force as early as 2027.

"The reason that Davidson made such an assessment in the Congress was obviously trying to cry 'the wolf is coming' in order to possibly seek more military budget and to induce Taiwan to purchase more weapons from the United States. It may also be aimed at shaping the public opinion for achieving the U.S. strategic goal of getting more deeply involved in the Taiwan Strait. The British media's claim that Taiwan was 'the most dangerous place on earth' was obviously just knowing it was so, but not knowing why it was so.

"In fact, those countries and institutions which stress that 'peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are of the utmost importance' are making the claim that peace in the Taiwan Strait may be disrupted mostly based on their own self-interest. They only see that the warships and military aircrafts of mainland China frequently circle Taiwan and cross the so-called 'the median line of the Strait,' but deliberately ignore the reasons behind them. Maybe they are just playing dumb and feigning innocence and trying to muddy the water!

"As a matter of fact, when it comes to the realization of national reunification, the stance and proposition of the Chinese mainland have long been made clear and manifest. That is 'the Chinese don't fight the Chinese.' But the prerequisites are that Taiwan follows its so-called 'Constitution of the Republic of China' stating that both sides of the Strait belong to One China and avoids engaging in the separatist activities of 'Taiwan independence.' Furthermore, it engages in 'meeting each other halfway' with mainland China. In another word, they should identify themselves as 'the Chinese' and not become the 'enemy of the Chinese' who split the country and harm its national interests. Then, they should take measures to promote the peaceful reunification of the both sides of the Strait. As it is known to all, to deal with the enemies who split the country and harm its national interests and to safeguard the country's core interests in terms of territory, sovereignty, security and development, all necessary means can be justified, including non-peaceful means. This is also the norms shared by the mainstream international community, including the United States.

'The Chinese Mainland Has To Fight Back'

"In reality, the Taiwan Strait is currently facing high tensions and becoming 'the most dangerous place on earth.' It is also likely to be turned into the 'Ukraine of today.' The fundamental main reasons of this situation are not that the Chinese mainland intends to achieve the reunification by the so-called means of force and that mainland China desires to change the international order to dominate the regional affairs in Asia-Pacific. The reasons are the separatist forces of 'Taiwan independence' in Taiwan and the political and strategic ambitions of the United States. For their own interests, they collude with each other, trying to change the nature of the fact that both sides of the Strait belong to One China. They also attempt to separate Taiwan from China, block China's development and national rejuvenation and seriously undermine China's core interests in terms of territory, sovereignty, security and development.

"As we all know, with the continuous rise of mainland China boosted by its reform and opening up, the gap between the Chinese mainland and the U.S. in GDP and national strength is narrowing dramatically. China gets more and more involved in international affairs, with its influence on the international community growing. The United States believes that not only the prior policy of engagement and exchange with China aimed at peaceful evolution has failed, but also that the rise of mainland China runs counter generally to the hegemonic strategy and national interests of the United States. Therefore, the U.S. has turned to adopt a policy of strategic competition which aims at the curtailment and containment of China.

"Since Donald Trump took office, the United States has strengthened its use of various bargaining chips and conditions to curtail and contain the Chinese mainland, including constantly pushing and testing the red line of the Sino-U.S. relations and playing the 'Taiwan card' more frequently and vigorously. The U.S. sells more advanced arms to Taiwan, engages in more high-level official visits to Taiwan and asserts navigational and aviation missions in the vicinity of Chinese territory more frequently. All these are designed to attempt to 'conquer China with Taiwan.' These not only send constantly the wrong message of supporting the separatist forces of 'Taiwan independence,' but also violate China's territory, sovereignty and security directly and endanger the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait. The Chinese mainland has to fight back.

'The Will Of Mainland China Is Rock-Solid And Persistent'

"Meanwhile, the DPP authorities, which came to power on May 20, 2016, not only unilaterally rejected the '1992 Consensus' reached earlier across the Taiwan Strait for maintaining the peaceful development of Cross-Strait relations, but also have been taking advantage of the convenience of its 'full control of government' to advance the separatist activities of 'Taiwan independence.' They have taken the opportunity of the U.S.'s strategic adjustment towards China and the playing of the 'Taiwan card' to collude with the U.S. and other international forces to seek Taiwan independence and to contain the development of mainland China. They have also been trying to damage the core interests of mainland China including its territory, sovereignty, security and development and turn themselves into China's enemies. Therefore, in order to safeguard and uphold our country's core interests in terms of territory, sovereignty, security and development, the Chinese mainland has no choice but to take some necessary measures against the hostile actions by the separatist forces of 'Taiwan independence,' including military actions.

"These are the main reasons why mainland China has sent warships and military aircrafts to frequently circle Taiwan and cross the so-called 'the median line in the Strait' in recent years. And these are also the fundamental reasons why Taiwan is becoming 'the most dangerous place on earth.' As known to everyone, when it comes to defending the core interests, such as national territory, sovereignty, security and development, the will of mainland China is rock-solid and persistent. If the United States and other international anti-Chinese forces continue to play the 'Taiwan card' and if the separatist forces of 'Taiwan independence' in Taiwan continue to engage in the separatist activities of 'Taiwan independence,' Chinese warships and military aircrafts will keep on frequently circling Taiwan and crossing the so-called 'the median line in the Taiwan Strait.' Moreover, once the international anti-Chinese forces and the separatist forces of 'Taiwan independence' break the limits that both sides of the strait belong to One China, once they cross the red line drawn by the 'Anti-Secession Law,' they will be annihilated and obliterated definitely by means of force from the mainland China. The so-called 'Today's Ukraine, Tomorrow's Taiwan' will surely become a reality!"