Get this. In exchange for letting themselves be “re”-unified with the People’s Republic of China, the people of Taiwan can get something called “energy stability” from the PRC (Reuters, March 18, 2026).
Taiwan, which had received a third of its LNG [liquefied natural gas] from Qatar and sources no energy from China, has said it has secured alternative supplies for the months ahead, including from the United States, the island’s main international backer.
Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, told reporters in Beijing that “peaceful reunification” would bring better protection of Taiwan’s energy and resource security with a “strong motherland” as its backing.
“We are willing to provide Taiwan compatriots with stable and reliable energy and resource security, so that they may live better lives,” he said, responding to a question about Taiwan’s energy supplies during the war in the Middle East.
What about the part where the people of Taiwan, who live in a separate country (i.e., are not Chen’s “compatriots”), would if they surrender as requested become as subjugated as the people of the mainland? How would coming under the heel of the Chinese Communist Party enable the Taiwanese to “lead better lives”? What about Taiwanese who belong to religious and ethnic groups that the mainland government targets for special persecution? Would they be better off too?
Reuters says that the ROC government made no immediate reply to Chen’s disingenuous offer. If it condescends to answer, the answer will be no.
Meanwhile, after an unexplained pause that began when the American-Israeli attack on Iran began in late February, the People’s Liberation Army has resumed military drills around Taiwan. The pause did not reassure anyone in the Republic of China that the PRC has only benevolent intentions, and full resumption of belligerent gestures in the Taiwan Strait won’t either.
Also see:
Taipei Times: “Lai reveals nuclear power revival plan”
“On May 17 last year, Taiwan shut down its last nuclear reactor and became the first non-nuclear nation in East Asia, fulfilling the Democratic Progressive Party government’s pledge of a ‘nuclear-free homeland.’…
“The Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant and the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant were selected for the restart plan after Taiwan Power Co’s (Taipower) preliminary evaluations found the plants fit for reactivation, Lai said.”
