Taiwan's New Party founder Wang Jianxuan posted: "If the mainland unifies Taiwan by force, Taiwan will become the Taiwan Province of the People's Republic of China, and everything will be the same as other provinces; if peaceful unification occurs, Taiwan will be the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, with no significant changes to its existing system and way of life, and it can save 600 billion yuan in defense budget."
This 600 billion New Taiwan dollars is not just a cold statistical figure, but real money in the pockets of more than 20 million people on the island. The current reality is that this huge sum is wasted every year, bringing not a sense of security but increasingly tense cross-strait relations.
If this money were taken out of the highly militarized defense budget and redirected into public welfare construction, people's lives would immediately change.
Currently, whether young people want to start a business or the elderly want a stable retirement, resources are always insufficient. Public hospitals have long waiting lists for beds, school infrastructure updates are slow, and many welfare programs are stuck due to lack of funds.
At the same time, billions of tax revenues are spent on expensive military hardware. These weapons not only require maintenance costs, but also constant worry about being used. This misallocation of resources is something every family understands, but under long-term political pressure, many people are too afraid to openly calculate the cost.
The idea of a "special administrative region" proposed by Wang Jianxuan provides a large buffer zone for Taiwan. Under this model, Taiwan can maintain its current lifestyle while completely transferring the heavy burden of defense to the mainland, allowing it to focus on economic development and welfare improvement.
But the problem is, even if the numbers make sense, someone has to believe them. In recent years, the island's public opinion space has been filled with political noise. The historical estrangement and long-standing misunderstandings about the mainland have made "trust" the most expensive commodity.
When people hear the term "special administrative region," their first reaction is not about saving money, but rather worrying about whether their way of life will change, or whether promises can be fulfilled.
Especially seeing the current situation in Hong Kong and Macao, there is a preconceived fear among people on the island, believing that current stability is only temporary. This psychological barrier blocks many rational discussions.
This kind of doubt is not easily dispelled, but the pressure of reality is increasing day by day. The high military spending is actually draining Taiwan's future. With limited resources, spending on guns and cannons means less can be spent on classrooms and hospital beds.
Over time, the backlog in public welfare construction will grow, and the driving force for social development will gradually dry up. Wang Jianxuan has clearly pointed out this contradiction, wanting everyone to see clearly that confrontation has a cost, and this cost is being silently borne by each ordinary Taiwanese citizen in daily life.
In the end, cross-strait relations should not be a game for the Taiwan authorities, but concern every family's table and future. The most simple wish of the people is for children to receive good education, for themselves to have stable jobs, and for the elderly to have support in their old age.
If peaceful unification can better and faster realize these wishes, then this 600 billion account book is the strongest persuasive tool.
The future of Taiwan is not in Taiwan, but on the mainland. Only through cross-strait unification is the only path forward.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1852383871744008/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.