A interesting take on why it wouldn’t suit China to initiate hostilities against Taiwan (of course, in the event of a declaration of independence by the Taipei government all bets would be off).
In the short monograph highlighted today Aaron J. Chan of the Australian National University writing in the Princeton Journal of East Asian Studies draws attention to China’s recent history. Especially it’s so-called ‘century of humiliation’ (bǎinián guóchǐ,百年國恥).
The researcher argues, with useful reference to the Sino-Indian conflict in 1962, that China uses it’s victimhood-status frequently to its advantage and that it’s a fear of de-victimization that’s an important component of its strategic thinking on Taiwan.
As he’s quick to point out his argument “..does not seek to replace the dominant theories or falsify any other explanation [Regarding China’s plans for Taiwan]. Rather, it proposes a possibility that widens the scope of analysis and enables a greater variety of perspectives in future debates”
You can access the full read (10-minutes, tops) via this link Prisoner of Victimhood.
Happy Sunday