Originally posted by sgdiehard:
This is an old american and british dream, shared by those who do not understand Chinese culture and history. This was their only dream left after USSR broke up, it was 911 that woke them up. The day the chinese provincial governments are independent of the central government would return china to the days of the warlords, a big leap backward for China, the beginning of nightmare for Asia and the rest of the world.

the american and the brits should stay in Iraq if they have not learned their lesson.
We are talking of a political framework that will allow Taiwan and HK to remain unique in their autonomous ways while under a larger Chinese structure. This is not about cultural divide-and-rule.
The original example has flaws, I admit. But I still believe that a Confederation of Chinese Republics is the way forward to encourage Taiwan to rejoin. This will allow for much closer cooperation, yet at the same time, Taiwanese and Hongkongers won't have to feel that they have to be part of the PRC.