A publisher kindly offered me an opportunity to interview Eyck Freymann, a Hoover Fellow at Stanford University, and to review his new book, Defending Taiwan: A Strategy to Prevent War with China.
I think I must decline. I am sure he is a great scholar and thinker but I already have too many unread books on the shelves demanding my attention, a constant accusing presence reminding me what a slow and lazy reader I am.
And Taiwan? I don’t think I want to waste time engaging with the indoctrinating framework or parameters set by Americans rather than Chinese – by that I include the Taiwanese – over what is really a family matter.
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I am a simple man, with a simple solution to the problem posed by his book’s title: Acknowledge Taiwan belongs to China and has always been Chinese territory. That’s it! Or don’t acknowledge it but just ignore it. Mind your own business.
Because of the long tragic history of modern China, thanks in no small part to Western imperialism whose legacy continues to this day, people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait will take some time to adjust to reunification. That will involve some give-and-take, and a lot of good will, compromises and guarantees. But, whether or not it works out, it’s all Chinese business, and none of the West’s business. So, stay out. Problem solved.
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Somehow though, I don’t think Freymann would agree with my solution. He will no doubt think I am naive, nationalistic, even jingoistic. Maybe so.
