The aspirations of 23 million people for an independent Taiwan, which has been constantly suppressed by Taiwan's authoritarian rival, the People's Republic of China, have gained momentum to become a mainstream movement over the past few years. About 70 percent of Taiwanese support a bid for U.N. entry under the name of Taiwan. An equal number of people also consider themselves Taiwanese, not Chinese.
The United States and other major democracies in the world should not overlook the shift in the political mood. The Taiwanese people have been grossly misunderstood and neglected. China's constant bullying of Taiwan has been taken by the world community, the U.S. included, as acceptable behavior. It is amid this frustration that the Taiwanese people, not President Chen Shui-bian personally, dare to defy the ill-conceived and self-serving warnings of the Bush administration. Targeting Chen won't help defuse the desire of the people. In fact, it will certainly backfire.
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