LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Taiwan: Taiwan Strait
built 656 days ago
Unfortunately, leaders on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have discounted and marginalized the Taiwan story. Rather than viewing Taiwan as a viable force of political opposition and a model of successful political change, China sees the ROC as just a local regime seeking independence in the refuge of foreign protection. Even though Beijing's stubborn refusal to enact political reforms has made independence ever more attractive to many Taiwanese, the words and acts by many in Taiwan for full independence have served to deprive the ROC of its rightful political influence in Greater China. Shrewdly seizing upon the opportunity, Beijing has successfully portrayed Taipei as an anti-China traitor that has harmed and divided the Motherland, leading many Chinese simply to despise and reject Taiwan's experience. As such, Beijing, and the world, continually underestimate and undermine Taiwan's catalytic role. [7]
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In 1997, as Britain prepared to return control of Hong Kong to China, Taiwan conducted live military exercises in the Straits. Experts said it was to demostrate that Taiwan would not quiretly follow the Hong Kong example. The United States began shipping fighter jets to Taiwan that year, and on the island itself the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party won municipal elections.
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Located across the Taiwan Strait from mainland China (80 miles at the closest point), Taiwan is a leading economic and trading center, with one of the busiest ports in the world (Kaohsiung). As Taiwan lacks sufficient domestic energy sources, it is almost totally dependent on energy imports.
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As the electoral success of the DPP, and later, the DPP-led pan-green coalition grew in recent years, the Taiwan independence movement shifted focus to identity politics by proposing many plans involving symbolism and social engineering. The interpretation of historical events such as the 228 incident, the use of broadcast language and mother tongue education in schools, the official name and flag of the ROC, slogans in the army, orientation of maps all have been issues of concern to the present-day Taiwan independence movement. With the cross-straits political process stalled, this is likely to be the focus of the movement for the foreseeable future.
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Washing a short segment of the East Asian landmass at the Pacific Ocean's westerly reach, the Taiwan Strait connects the South and East China Seas. At the same time, it separates Taiwan from Fujian Province in the People's Republic of China (PRC) on opposite shores.
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Japan has speculated that in the event of Taiwanese independence, the PRC would launch a pre-emptive strike against Japan to prevent U.S. troops stationed there from reinforcing Taiwan. (The other two scenarios are: armed struggle for the resources in the Pacific and a PRC attack to regain the disputed islands between the two states.) There is... currently no evidence to substantiate the theory that the PRC would launch a pre-emptive strike against Japan, in the event that hostilities break out across the Taiwan Strait.
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