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Comment by sofixa | Hacker News Reader

> China has openly supported Macron's "strategic autonomy" principle which aims to distance EU from USA.

I find this completely normal, but also shortsighted in a way. A more strategically autonomous and assertive EU wouldn't blindly follow US' follies (cf. Iraq), but that doesn't mean it won't side with the US for a just cause (cf. Ukraine). The democratic values in the US, Canada, UK and EU are too similar for a complete strategic divergence in policies. Therefore we'd get a more strong, integrated and assertive EU leading the way in many areas trade, manufacturing and regulations-wise, that still collaborates with US and friends when it makes sense and the cause is just (so not in invading Iran on imaginary pretenses, but if China invades Taiwan brutally à la Russia invading Ukraine, probably).

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In short term, China loves "strategic autonomy" because Macron has also suggested that China invading Taiwan should not be EU's business under the principle(apparently he used much stronger words but was censored by his own communications team)

In longer term, (pure speculation) I think China may believe that after a while, China would have so much global influence that even strategically autonomous EU would be reluctant to side with US even for blatantly "unjust" cause.

Why should China setting foot in Taiwan be EU's business? It's literally half-way around the globe from us.

The same way it was the US’ business to free you from Nazis just 80 years ago.

In here it was the Soviets, actually. And equating current-day China with the Nazis makes companies like Apple what? Collaborators?

And you’re glad it was the Soviets?? Didn’t turn out so well for East Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Ukraine, etc.

No, China hasn’t set foot in Taiwan. If it does, by murdering thousands, then yes Apple would be rightfully seen as collaborators. As would you for supporting indifference to a murderous bloody invasion.

It wasn't, they only joined because Japan and later Nazi Germany declared war on them. If it was about "freeing" anyone, they would have stepped in much earlier.

And just to be clear, the US had a massive part of the Allied war effort against the Axis, but they didn't singlehandedly win the war or free anyone, it was a joint effort with similarly massive Soviet and British (and Commonwealth) parts. As a reminder, Britain spent months fighting alone, and the vast vast majority of German troops were always on the Eastern Front while the Western Allies fought against subpar foreign "volunteers" or third-rate recovering German troops on the continent.

> It wasn't, they only joined because Japan and later Nazi Germany declared war on them. If it was about "freeing" anyone, they would have stepped in much earlier.

Only because of isolationist "not my problem"s like GP, the current fringe right in the US, and others on HN. That's what we're fighting to not be like.

Everything you said is pretty much true. It's also true that without the US, and especially US+UK, WW2 would've turned out very differently. Soviets could not beat the Nazis themselves. So you can still appreciate the US, UK, and the Soviets for freeing Europe. And the US and UK are telling Europe that you don't get to be saved by us and then shirk your responsibility to save someone else.

And don't forget, the situation is extremely messy from a legal perspective. Taiwan is an island, run by the Republic of China, the losers of the Chinese Civil War, and both them and the PRC (mainland China) say there's only one China, and it's them. That's what the world recognises too, only one of them is the real China, and there's nothing else.

For all intents and purposes Taiwan is a separate independent country nowadays thay doesn't actively claim to be China, but it's too late to change the situation (like by amending their constitution or status to say they're a separate country, Taiwan, and don't have anything to do with China anymore) because anything done today just might piss off China(PRC). Technically if China invades Taiwan, they'd be within their internationally recognised legal rights to retake a runaway province from the losers of a civil war. From a humanitarian perspective it would be a disaster of course, but on what grounds does anyone defend Taiwan when barely any country recognises Taiwan exists in the first place?

Legal perspective? The only way you can enforce legality is with force. And whose is going to do that? The UN?

Countries gain sovereignty either when the country they split off of allows it or they have the means to occupy and defend the land they claim is soverign.

> Legal perspective? The only way you can enforce legality is with force

Dubious. The current legality of the situation is that Taiwan is de jure part of China (PRC), and the ROC is nobody. Nobody is enforcing that with force, it's maintained by the unwillingness of the ROC to provoke the PRC, and the unwillingness of the PRC to risk their credentials and trade over this, or they're hopeful one day the ROC will peacefully join them if relations and trade are good enough.

> Countries gain sovereignty either when ... they have the means to occupy and defend the land they claim is soverign.

Haiti, or much more recently Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Transnistria, North Cyprus, etc. prove this wrong. Even if you have full control of some land and claim to have full sovereignty over it, unless others recognise you, you're in a very bad situation. No international recognition -> no trade or international relations -> perpetually poor.

> ... they're hopeful one day the ROC will peacefully join them if relations and trade are good enough.

The stupid shit that China pulled in Hong Kong just a few years ago has pretty much put a nail into the coffin of that hope any time soon.

All China had to do was keep to the "one country, two systems" approach in Hong Kong that had been working so well.

But they couldn't even manage to do that, instead violating the agreement they themselves negotiated.

So, it's pretty easy to see why the majority of Taiwanese want them fuck right off. ;)

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