Geopolitical footballs
The land where I am writing is one of the geopolitical footballs of our current times.
My country is increasing its defence spending in case China moves on Taiwan.
The cages are rattled every week or so in the new feed.
China is made out to be the bad guy in this game.
I have been seeking to understand why China might believe it has the right to Taiwan, and how the people of Taiwan feel.
The history of China as the governing body of Taiwan is pretty thin, especially the CCP. We just walked the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Park, which is both stunningly beautiful and very impressive. It was only opened in 1980. It honours a man who led the Chinese Government for a long time until he was ousted by the CCP, escaping to Taiwan for refuge, and to continue the Republic of China (Taiwan) from this island.
It would appear that the true reasons for a Chinese overthrow of Taiwan are geopolitical and not based on history. The rights to the Taiwan Strait and access to the superconductor industry might be more important than historical oversight.
However, what I feel being here is a lot of noise in the world out there to prop up stories to perpetuate military buildups, against an ‘enemy’ that has historically shown little to no appetite for war. Of course, history might become a black swan event, yet the more compelling history is the one of the USA and its aggression towards states that do not conform to its interests. For example, what is happening now in Venezuela.
I listen to the news feed rattling cages of China and Taiwan, and I wonder what purpose is truly achieved by having the citizens of the USA supporting countries like Australia fear this possibility?
One of the most significant benefits of the Trump presidency is the growing realisation among the usual fans of the United States that they must let go of the teat —or, at the very least, step out from under the boot —and become more independent, while also forming coalitions with others.
The memorial to Chiang Kai-shek was built after he died. He is still revered. It is an imposing structure. One cannot look upon it in 2025 and not know that another world ‘leader’ longs for a similar memorial. Yet when you serve only your interests and the interests of your family at the cost of the citizens, there will not be a memorial in celebration. There will be stories and films and books written on how we allowed this to happen.
Taiwan lies in the geopolitical crosshairs of other nations. It’s people, like most of us, who just want to get on with our lives in dignity.
Photo Taken November 4th 2025, Article published November 4th, 2025
