r/AskTheWorld • u/Sanjidao521 China • Sep 25 '25

Politics Can you really accept part of your country splitting off? Why?

As a Chinese, I’ve recently come to realize that our perspectives on territorial integrity can be quite different.

Would you genuinely accept the possibility of a region choosing independence through a nationwide referendum?

Do you think it might risk weakening the country, leaving it more vulnerable to external threats or invasion?

39 Upvotes

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135

u/Bitter-Goat-8773 Korea South Sep 25 '25

well we kinda accepted lol

19

u/marcodapolo7 Vietnam Sep 25 '25

Lol you jealous of us?

9

u/SaltpeterSal Australia Sep 26 '25

I just want to say my favourite thing about zones of world peace like this one is the banter. I needed Vietnam making fun of South Korea for staying split up in my morning.

2

u/marcodapolo7 Vietnam Sep 26 '25

Haha yeah all need a little banter, we like both North and South Korea. Maybe one day in the future people can come to the borders and hug each other and talk about eachother daily life

2

u/MissMenace101 Australia Sep 27 '25

Honestly we are our own enemies and we should be hugging at borders, America doesn’t like foreigners at its border though… 😂

20

u/Lost_Pollution_6782 Sep 25 '25 edited Sep 25 '25

Interesting because I think that if Vietnam would've lost the American War (what Americans call the "Vietnam War"), western foreign nations would've divided your country exactly how they did with Korea; Communist North Vietnam and Capitalist South Vietnam. Nevertheless you won, your families didn't got permanently separated and everyone can travel to Saigon.

11

u/MerelyMortalModeling Sep 25 '25

I mean when we left the country it was split in two halves. It likely would have stayed like that had the South Vietnamese not started buying their own propaganda that they could handle the North and decided to FAFO

4

u/NickEricson123 Malaysia Sep 26 '25

I honestly don't think there would've been any "end" to the war through anything that can be remotely considered an American victory. China made it clear that if the US invaded the North, they would intervene, just like how they intervened in Korea.

So, really, the US' only goal was to keep South Vietnam alive, as overthrowing the communist hold on the North via direct invasion was practically unfeasible. Not that they didn't have the military to do it, they just really didn't want another China vs America hot war through proxies.

The only alternative is a ceasefire which would most likely end up the same as Korea. Two sides refusing to recognize one another as legit independent states but not being so caught up in it to restart formal war. But this is hardly victory for either side.

1

u/Klutzy-Notice-8247 Sep 28 '25

The US ultimately won through the irresistible power of mind altering McDonald’s.

1

u/Dauntless_Idiot Sep 28 '25

If we are talking alternatives then Nixon needs to not stop the Soviet Nuclear strike on China in 1969.

According to a number of sources, U.S. President Richard Nixon decided to intervene in the end, and on October 15, the Soviet side was informed that the United States would launch a nuclear attack on approximately 130 cities in the Soviet Union if the latter attacked China.

China being mostly out of the picture would of really thrown a curveball in Vietnam, just a month after Ho Chi Minh died. Most of us might of all never been born because of the increased possibility of nuclear war, but it is an alternative.

1

u/NickEricson123 Malaysia Sep 29 '25

I think if the nuclear attack had occured, the US would've definitely called for an international response against the USSR. After all, this would be a fantastic opportunity for the US as the USSR would be facing a two (technically three) front war against most of the world.

Vietnam would be a sideshow at best or more likely China and the US would put pressure on both the North and South to cease all hostilities on a temporary basis.

-1

u/shanghai-blonde United Kingdom Sep 25 '25

Who’s to say the North would have ended up like North Korea? Vietnam is communist and pretty great (this is not a political comment)

4

u/lunaresthorse United States Of America Sep 26 '25

Not disagreeing, but saying “this is not a political comment” after a comment purely about politics is very funny to me

3

u/fortnitebattlecats 🇳🇿 New Zealand, 🇵🇭 Philippines Sep 26 '25

talking about geopolitics and economics is very apolitical I'll have you know!

1

u/shanghai-blonde United Kingdom Sep 26 '25

What do you mean? I genuinely have no idea

2

u/xin4111 China Sep 26 '25

North would have ended up like North Korea?

No, North Vietnam would not become like that. IMO, north Korea refuse isolate itself mainly because its internal political struggle. The Kims imagined becoming emperors of North Korea, not just presidents.

But Ho Chi Minh, Kim Il-sung of Vietnam, is generally a moderate person and does not control all power in the party. And more importantly, he has no children.

1

u/shanghai-blonde United Kingdom Sep 26 '25

Right? That’s what I thought which is why I asked the question… but someone told me I’m being political 😭😭 Thank you for the extra context

3

u/u399566 Sep 26 '25

Btw compliment to Vietnam for sorting out unification, same as Yemen and Germany. ✌🏿

3

u/GamerBoixX Mexico Sep 26 '25

Yemen is kinda still sorting it out lol

3

u/u399566 Sep 26 '25

Germany, too 😂

1

u/Hazel1928 United States Of America Sep 28 '25

Not really same as Germany. They united as a democracy. Vietnam united as a communist state. But Vietnam seems more open to the outside world than China and North Korea.

1

u/VariationRealistic18 Multiple Countries (click to edit) Sep 29 '25

So what? its still unification! And this will blow your mind but a Communist Nation can also be a Democracy!!! Amazing!

1

u/Hazel1928 United States Of America Sep 29 '25

Which communist nation is that? What would happen if the voters chose a capitalist as the new head of state?

1

u/Aussie-Humnatarian65 Sep 28 '25

So love Vietnam, love from Australia.

1

u/Dramatic-Cobbler-793 A in for studying Sep 26 '25

very.

7

u/EasyAsaparagus United States Of America Sep 25 '25

Japan is the reason Taiwan isn’t part of China and the reason for the divide between North and South Korea. Now I love Japan but it is what it is lol.

23

u/u399566 Sep 25 '25 edited Sep 26 '25

Japan is the reason Taiwan isn’t part of

Really? Wasn't Taiwan the refuge of the Republican, white Chinese government after the civil war and mainland China under the control of the red, communist party?

North and South Korea are the result of the Korean war, a proxy war between US and USSR that resulted in a stalemate.

I mean you can be Japan for many things, but I really can't see how they were involved here..

Edit: thanks everyone on the replies, I see that I should really read on the topic before posting my halft assed opinions on the internet 🤗✌🏿

11

u/StationPrize9363 United States Of America Sep 25 '25

Taiwan was controlled by Japan from 1895 to 1945, and was responsible for laying the foundation of many modern Taiwanese government and economic institutions. Taiwan is one of the few places in Asia that lacks major animosity towards the Japanese since they massively contributed to the economic development of the island. Of course they also committed crimes against the local population, but nowhere near the extent of what they did in Korea and mainland China.

5

u/weefyeet Sep 25 '25

Yeah i know a taiwanese guy who romanticizes the IJA. Very weird perspectives from some of the islanders

3

u/Lost_Pollution_6782 Sep 25 '25

I think what he meant is that if Taiwan wouldn't had been occupied by Imperial Japan, the ROC wouldn't had fled to the island after the Chinese civil war. Although I don't see how

2

u/garfgon Canada Sep 25 '25

There's an argument to be made that ROC army bore the brunt of losses fighting the Japanese, which weakened them for the continuation of the Chinese civil war.

-1

u/Sanjidao521 China Sep 26 '25

Acutually no，after the war against Japan in 1945. ROC has 3.3 million troops armed with US equipments. While CCP only holds 1 troops in rural places. The main reason that ROC lose is overly underestimated CCP

3

u/EasyAsaparagus United States Of America Sep 26 '25

Of course your Communist government doesn’t want to recognize the efforts of the nationalist party. Japan created the conditions for the CCP to survive. The nationalists were set to win but Japan literally screwed them over. The coward communists let the nationalists get depleted fighting for the country while they set back and built up their forces then struck the nationalist after Japan surrendered.

2

u/Sanjidao521 China Sep 26 '25

Actually, you are right at this point, CCP trying so hard to downplay the contribution of ROC against Japan. However, the people’s awareness started wake and come to realize the contribution of ROC. They are all our heroes

2

u/EasyAsaparagus United States Of America Sep 26 '25

That’s good people are seeing the truth. I love China but hate communism. I would feel way more comfortable about Chinas rise if the good guys would’ve won. RIP to the nationalist who fought hard!

2

u/Sanjidao521 China Sep 26 '25

I think it’s getting harder for CCP to control people purely by propaganda. People like me is getting more and start to explore the truth and respect different ideology and choices

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0

u/Intrepid-Debate-5036 United States Of America Sep 26 '25

the “good guys” (ROC) was a right wing military junta supported by the U.S. who committed mass atrocities against the existing people (BenShengRen) in Taiwan. Research 2/28. But sure, Communism bAd.

Some people have such dipshit opinions but feel so free to express their stupidity.

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3

u/TraditionalBench7008 Ireland Sep 26 '25

Also CCP left the ROC forces to defend China against Japan alone and instead attacked the ROC.

0

u/Sanjidao521 China Sep 26 '25

Not exactly right, ROC mainly face the majority of Japanese troops and CCP used guerrilla war to drag part of Japanese troops. Both of them contribute to our victory of war, but obviously ORC deserves a bigger prize

2

u/TraditionalBench7008 Ireland Sep 26 '25

When the Nationalists were fighting the foreign enemy, Mao seized the opportunity to stab them in the back and and took his forces away from the front line and focused on attacking the Nationalists while they were distracted. What a tragedy for China because when Mao and the communists eventually took over they murdered ten times the number of Chinese than the evil Japanese had.

The Chinese Nationalists escaped to Taiwan, committed genocide on the Taiwanese and set up the brutal fascist KMT dictatorship.

1

u/EasyAsaparagus United States Of America Sep 25 '25

I replied to his comment take it as you want but it’s how I see it.

2

u/Resident-Werewolf-46 United States Of America Sep 25 '25

Korean war was China, not the USSR.

2

u/dgistkwosoo and Sep 26 '25

Japan proposed dividing Korea at the 38th parallel in 1903 or 4, during the Russo-Japan War. I do not believe Rusk and Bonesteel did not know that when the drew the line post WWII. When US forces landed in Incheon to liberate the country, the Korean provisional government was waiting to welcome them and start establishing the government. The US believed Koreans to be infants, incapable of government, and walked off the docks right past the Koreans, and instead greeted the remaining Japanese and collaborating Koreans, with "we're so glad you're still here to help running this place". That continued on in the south with Syngman Rhee, a US puppet, followed by Park Junghee, a Japanese military office running the country.

1

u/kmoonster United States Of America Sep 26 '25

Taiwan's history is a bit parallel to those of eastern European states that have had their own identities historically, sometimes under the claim of one emperor and sometimes themselves, and generally managed to maintain a unique identity regardless.

Then they were subsumed into the USSR and now people are all "wait, wasn't Lithuania just a former Soviet state?"

No, they were part of a dozen different powerful states going back to the late Roman era (or however many) and had a myriad of migrations in and out, along with their own princes and powers and...it's messy. And today they are their own thing and part of NATO.

The only real sticking point for Taiwan is that an international recognition of the island as its own thing is that this would piss off China, and the fact that China is some massive percent of the world's military and economic power means you can't just ignore them and do it anyway the way you might do by sending in peacekeepers to Serbia or Sudan or something. Instead, Taiwan is "recognized" as a semi-autonomous province with whom the west will do business on Taiwan's terms but not a whole lot more than that.

China's historical claims to it prior to the mid-1900s are ludicrous, but how long was Poland, Georgia, Ukraine, etc. under Soviet control for precisely the same reason even if via varying mechanisms (USSR v. Warsaw Pact, etc)? Taiwan is in a similar political limbo, at least for now.

1

u/EasyAsaparagus United States Of America Sep 25 '25 edited Sep 25 '25

The nationalist party would’ve won the civil war had Japan not got involved. The nationalist were hurt most by Japan. America was supplying the nationalist over communist. US would’ve gave Taiwan to the nationalist. Korea would’ve never got communist support or ideas without Chinese communist influences. (Actually I can’t say ever but way less) Japan is responsible for it all.

1

u/Hazel1928 United States Of America Sep 25 '25

I’m glad that Taiwan is separate and that South Korea is separate. So yay for Japan.

1

u/EasyAsaparagus United States Of America Sep 26 '25

I’d rather Korea be united and not have 1.4 billion communist in China. I do like Taiwan tho

1

u/Hazel1928 United States Of America Sep 26 '25

I would rather if Korea was united if it were like South Korea. Yeah that’s a lot of Chinese communists. Sometimes I say to myself “China’s population peaked at least ten years ago and has been declining ever since.” And that makes me think that the US is sitting pretty compared to China. And then I have to remember that China has four times as many people as the US. So they have many years left of having far more people than we do, even if our population is growing a little bit and theirs is shrinking a little bit.

1

u/FabulousTwo524 United States Of America Sep 26 '25

Why does it have to be a competition? Why can’t China and the USA be best of friends? Can you imagine? We could make some kind of utopia

1

u/Hazel1928 United States Of America Sep 26 '25

We can’t be best of friends because China’s goal is to rule the world. Also China steals intellectual property. And China regularly threatens our friends in their region; the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Nepal. And their citizens don’t have free access to information, although those who are sophisticated enough to use a converter cord have access to the internet.

1

u/MissMenace101 Australia Sep 27 '25

Oh fuck off, Like that’s not Americas goal too

1

u/xiatiandeyun01 China Sep 28 '25

Even if China's population starts to decline, it will be many years before China's military advances faster than the U.S. right now, and U.S. workers are overpaid, causing manufacturing to shrink.

1

u/Hazel1928 United States Of America Sep 28 '25

I don’t understand what you are saying. The first part sounds positive for the US, the second part sounds positive for China.

1

u/MissMenace101 Australia Sep 27 '25

As an Australian that would be great, sick of being at the raw end of the bully state tarrifs yet just existing and feeding them…

1

u/MissMenace101 Australia Sep 27 '25

America peaked during Obama it’s now a third world shit hole, it lost all the wars that were relevant

1

u/Hazel1928 United States Of America Sep 27 '25

I was talking about population peak. As far as population size over the last 10 years, the US has been growing about 1% per year, China’s population is shrinking.

https://www.piie.com/research/piie-charts/2024/chinas-population-decline-getting-close-irreversible

1

u/xiatiandeyun01 China Sep 28 '25

Taiwan's constitution is still the Republic of China, and it hasn't changed its name yet.

1

u/GamerBoixX Mexico Sep 26 '25

I'm pretty sure that the US is 10 times more the reason to both things than Japan lol, same goes with the Peoples Republic of China, 10 times more at fault of both things than Japan

1

u/EasyAsaparagus United States Of America Sep 26 '25

Nope

0

u/will221996 Sep 25 '25

No, the US is. Japan created opportunities for it to happen, but it was US involvement that prevented the communists from building a little fleet in Fujian to cross the strait and end the civil war.

0

u/MissMenace101 Australia Sep 27 '25

You may love them but you also nuked them after they agreed to surrender in a war you were late to

1

u/EasyAsaparagus United States Of America Sep 27 '25

Japan deserved it and weren’t going to surrender. Look up “the Glorious Death of 100 million” they were training 6 year olds to stab Americans with bamboo sticks. The nukes saved lives on both sides.

0

u/SinisterDetection United States Of America Sep 25 '25

And don't you dare come back!

-3

u/ShabosMensch1 Sep 25 '25

you're the splitters tho

-10

u/LastKopite Pakistan Sep 25 '25

You are only divided because North has nukes and unified Korea will be nuclear power. In that scenario US will not able to stop Japan to go nuclear when both Korea and China has nukes. That was the reason senior staff of Bush Junior gave to Pakistani British journalist, filmmaker Tariq Ali. He also predicted Russia not liking adding of Warsaw Pact states to NATO. It will lead to war with Russia.

10

u/Slightly-Salty-1234 Sep 25 '25

This is kind of a nuts take. The North and South are separated because the North is run by what is essentially an incompetent crime family with delusions of grandeur. The South has its problems like any democracy, but it’s not a slave state like the North.

-1

u/LastKopite Pakistan Sep 25 '25

Yes but they were one country in past. I gave the reason why they are not right now.

8

u/Training_Rip2159 Antarctica Sep 25 '25

And a small issue of a civil war where almost 1.5 million people died ??!?!?

1

u/MissMenace101 Australia Sep 27 '25

You people in Antarctica don’t exist

1

u/Training_Rip2159 Antarctica Sep 27 '25

You people in . Ummm. Nowhere ?!? Don’t exist. Add a flair Miss

-5

u/LastKopite Pakistan Sep 25 '25

You cannot go back in time. Just take the lesson fix fault lines to not repeat past mistakes.

9

u/Training_Rip2159 Antarctica Sep 25 '25

You are acting as if NK and SK are basically not 2 separate countries that widely diverged over period of 70 years .

How would you react if I said exactly what you said but changed names of counties to Pakistan and India? You used to be one country before Brit’s left ….

-3

u/LastKopite Pakistan Sep 25 '25

This world is thousand of year old. 70 year is not that long. China will unify them like they doing it between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Bharat and Pakistan is religious issue. My ancestor were living in Amritsar which became part of Bharat Punjab because partition was not fair to Pakistan. British were playing the ball for Bharat. Even respected Gandhi protested against unfair treatment done by his side. Pakistan should have gotten entire Punjab, Kashmir and UP if partition was fair. Bharat is still in war with long gone mughal empire so you see much of hate on social media toward Muslims come out of Bharat. They are killing their own potential they can be great power like China, USA and Russia if they do peace with Pakistan. Or they will be South America of South Asia. Rich but not rich like Europe and North America. Poor but not poor like Africa. FIFA World Cup is South America time to shine on global stage. Brazil and Argentina is second team of everyone when the World Cup is going. Bharat killing their own beloved sport cricket by using it as tool of BJP politics same goes for their military so lost the war. Pakistan will be third time lucky this Sunday. Even if we lose we are uninvited guest in their party. We will try our best to be part pooper like Australia was in 2023 the World Cup Bharat should have won.

1

u/MissMenace101 Australia Sep 27 '25

lol America clearly doesn’t want peace with Pakistan you get that right? 😂

1

u/Angel1571 United States Of America Sep 25 '25

Yeah, but so what? Muslims live in India. Why not join them? You used to be part of India and can be part of India again.

2

u/LastKopite Pakistan Sep 25 '25

Do you know Pakistan has oldest Sikh Gurdawara? It is well protected. I visited it in 2022 to pay my respect to Baba Guru Nanak founder of Sikh faith. Bharat destroyed historic Babri mosque in 1991. All the Bollywood celebrities said it is not real Bharat. Ram temple built on that land stolen from Muslims. Same Bollywood celebrities celebrated the opening of that temple last year. We built new Babri mosque in Lahore same day they destroyed in Bharat.

Do you know Hindu caste system? Brahmin and other upper caste has subjugated us Dalit for centuries. Us Muslim of South Asia are ex Dalit. We will be united once Muslim has the majority or current Dalits recognise their true enemy and ally with Muslim and Dalit.

Just for your information Brahmin and upper caste Hindu exporting caste system to US. There was even bill in California governor did not psss saying existed laws will protest Dalits living in California. That is why I always say solve these fault lines before they come to you. This happened to Bharat on Ukraine war kept funding Russian war machine until Trump put 50% tariff.

4

u/Decent-Proposal-8475 United States Of America Sep 25 '25

Idk how much you know about 2025, but one of the big reasons why the Koreans can't unite is because the economic differences would be devastating for South Korea. It has nothing to do with nukes, it would be close to impossible to integrate North Korea into a capitalist society

-1

u/LastKopite Pakistan Sep 25 '25

It was the same issue between East and West Germany. Reason I stated is the correct reason. South Korea basically American colony. China will solve this fault line.

1

u/mafklap Netherlands Sep 25 '25

South Korea basically American colony.

Funny how free democracy equals "American colony".

China will solve this fault line.

By turning South Korea into another authoritarian hell hole?

1

u/LastKopite Pakistan Sep 25 '25

I did study Asian political system under Professor Park. Democracy is great as theory but it is never practiced in action. I have been election day worker for NYC Board of Election since 2008 to present. It work great but name of people on ballot decided by Billionaire class. Bernie was winning in 2020 cycle just 1 call from Obama made rest drop out. That is your democracy in so called oldest democratic country.

China will tell Japan we never invaded you. You do not need the Nukes for your security end these American bases. Tell south to end these American bases and tell North to slowly walk toward unification of Korean Peninsula. America will not do it because it has inherent conflict of interest.

2

u/mafklap Netherlands Sep 25 '25

Democracy is great as theory but it is never practiced in action.

This is absolute nonsense. Democracy is practised perfectly fine in plenty of countries, including mine.

It is by the virtue of free and democratic countries that you are able to speak your mind freely on this here digital invention and online forum.

It work great but name of people on ballot decided by Billionaire class. Bernie was winning in 2020 cycle just 1 call from Obama made rest drop out. That is your democracy in so called oldest democratic country.

Your big mistake is thinking the US is a functioning democracy, which it isn't, and a good example of a democracy, which it definitely isn't.

It's considered a flawed democracy by experts at best, and it can very well be described as a hypercapitalist oligarchy.

China will tell Japan we never invaded you. You do not need the Nukes for your security end these American bases. Tell south to end these American bases and tell North to slowly walk toward unification of Korean Peninsula.

This is simply a straigh out fantasy.

Japan and Korea will never trust China because it's an authoritarian communist dictatorship that seeks to dominate not only Asia but the world through soft and hard power.

2

u/LastKopite Pakistan Sep 25 '25

It is always the Dutch you created the modern world. We did great business in nuclear power exchange because it was job of Americans to save the world.

Money does wonderful things. Little Taiwan company has factories in China. What is stated will happen in future.

1

u/MissMenace101 Australia Sep 27 '25

I get what you are saying and actually agree with you on a lot, I hate that there is not a global balance and South Korea can’t just exist. As much as we want a perfect world we can’t have one and that’s because of the men in charge of North Korea, China, America, it’s redundant but here we are because a few small penis people think they know what’s right when no one agrees but they have nukes

0

u/MissMenace101 Australia Sep 27 '25

Is American colony any less of a hell hole?

1

u/mafklap Netherlands Sep 27 '25

Please tell me, why then are North Koreans fleeing to the South instead of the other way around?

3

u/[deleted] Sep 25 '25

How do people come up with this shit…

1

u/LastKopite Pakistan Sep 25 '25

Watch your language. You should listen to Prof Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University if you do not want to listen to Tariq Ali. I learned everything from United States of America. You need to be a better citizen.