ECONOMIC SUICIDE:Academia Sinica research fellow Joanne Chang told lawmakers that Xi Jinping’s dream could not possibly be realized if cross-strait peace does not exist

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 24, 2016
By: Lu Yi-hsuan and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer

If the situation in the Taiwan Strait destabilizes it would result in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) “China dream” turning into “an horrific nightmare,” Academia Sinica research fellow Joanne Chang (裘兆琳) said yesterday.

The caution came in the wake of an editorial published by China’s state-run Global Times that said Beijing should prepare itself to “arm wrestle” US president-elect Donald Trump and, if necessary, to “Lebanonize” Taiwan and “make the use of military force an actual option to realize reunification.”

Chang, who made the remarks at a hearing held at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei to discuss the potential state of Taiwan-US-China relations after Trump is inaugurated next month, said that whenever there is progress in Taiwan-US bilateral relations China responds with bewilderment and threatens military action, citing the firing of missiles toward Taiwan in 1996 and military drills in which Chinese warplanes flew around Taiwan.

In both cases the US intervened, sending military surveillance equipment to observe developments, Chang said, adding that these actions demonstrate the special characteristics of the trilateral relationship.    [FULL  STORY]