Last month marked the 20th anniversary of the lifting of the ban on visits to China. Between 1949 and 1987, Taiwanese were completely segregated from the people of China. It was obviously tragic and, indeed, painful for those who had left their families and friends behind after the civil war. Therefore, the initial opening up which allowed these people to return to their homes and families in China for visits and reunions was primarily for humanitarian reasons.
However, the opening up that began 20 years ago came too late to prevent a tragic occurrence -- the creation of an entire generation of Mainlanders in Taiwan who had become trapped in a unique time capsule. For those who fled to Taiwan with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government, most could not find it in their hearts to truly identify Taiwan as their home. For decades, the KMT government brainwashed them into believing that it would lead them in retaking China and returning to their real homes.
When they finally realized that would not happen, it was too late. They had been kept apart from their homes in China for so long that when they finally returned they discovered home was not what it used to be.
This history created not only personal tragedy for these people, but has been, and continues to be, the root of a fundamental political divide. To a large extent, the endless rivalry and confrontation between the pan-green and pan-blue camps reflects the fundamental conflict between Mainlanders and ethnic Taiwanese.
There were optimists who felt confident that with the weathering of the first generation of Mainlanders, ethnic divisions would ease. However, one should keep in mind that as ethnic Taiwanese became increasingly aware of their majority status and ethnicity during a backdrop of political liberalization and democratization, some Mainlanders and their offspring felt increasingly alienated and threatened, which in turn pushed them closer to each other and further away from ethnic Taiwanese.
Cross-strait exchanges continue to achieve new milestones. Now the Taiwanese shuttle between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait regularly. Taiwanese businesses have spent billions of dollars in China over the past decades in investments. It is estimated that as many as 1 million Taiwanese work in China on a regular basis. The number of cross-strait marriages is leading to a series of new social and political issues and a new generation of children with parents from different sides of the Taiwan Strait.
Under these circumstances, the reasons cited by proponents of further liberalization in cross-strait relations have long gone beyond the simple "humanitarian" grounds for the initial opening 20 years ago.
The motives now include business, political and social factors. With so many interests and ideologies constituting the cross-strait relationship, the government requires a firm policy that weighs economic interests against the need to maintain the nation's de facto independence and the threat posed by China's missiles and "Anti-Secession" Law.
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