Here's something few people seem to be aware of - Taiwan agrees it is part of China (aka 'One China' [1]).
While we often hear about the government in Beijing claiming the island as the sovereign territory of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), we don't hear much about the claims made by the government in Taipei that the mainland is the sovereign territory of the Republic of China (ROC).
Although both sides dispute who is the sole legitimate government of a single China, they both agree that territorially it includes the island of Taiwan. Meanwhile, a recent poll suggests that for people on the ground, opinion is divided.[2]
>Taiwan agrees it is part of China (aka 'One China' [1]).
That is laughably wrong. I say that as someone who's spent half his adult life in Taiwan. Only a very, very slim minority of Taiwanese feel that Taiwan is "part of China". Even the KMT (國民黨）has long given up that stance.
The tension is between those who want to officially (i.e. UN) recognized independence and those accept the status quo of de facto independence in the interests of avoiding a hopeless war with China. Taiwan has never been part of the the PRC. While a significant minority of Taiwanese people hope for a future democratic China, those in favor of unifying with the PRC measure at under 5%.
Yes, I am sure. Taiwan was my home for many years, most of my best friends live there and I still follow the local media in the local language and watched election campaign speeches for multiple candidates in each of the last two elections in person. What about you?
KMT leaders prior to Ma pushed for unification. During Ma's campaign in 2008, he repeatedly emphasized that he would not support any sort or unification or annexation. This created a rift between him, Lian Zhan and the rest of the old guard, but without that assurance he couldn't have won.
"The one China policy" has a specific political meaning -- it's intentionally ambiguous as to what "China" is (a country or a civilization). While the policy isn't exactly loved by most in Taiwan, it allows the peaceful continuance of Taiwan's de facto independence. Any formal break from the policy to formalize this independence is extremely dangerous as the article you linked to points out:
"Beijing has threatened to invade in response to any such declaration."
Also, it's important to point out the role of the US. The US has pledged to treat Taiwan as a country in the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, but has stated that any support or defense of Taiwan could end in the case of a formal declaration of independence.
While we often hear about the government in Beijing claiming the island as the sovereign territory of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), we don't hear much about the claims made by the government in Taipei that the mainland is the sovereign territory of the Republic of China (ROC).
Although both sides dispute who is the sole legitimate government of a single China, they both agree that territorially it includes the island of Taiwan. Meanwhile, a recent poll suggests that for people on the ground, opinion is divided.[2]
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-China_policy
[2] http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2013/04/30/2...