Chinese Nationlists around the world have been showing their "indignation" against the West in full force via large demonstrations. I can understand the reason for these actions of the Chinese people; their nation is rapidly changing and their insecure government uses nationalism and authoritarian force to maintain control and legitimacy. How else would the Chinese know to behave under this model?
All citizens of democracies have the right, under democratic law, to peacefully demonstrate against the criticism of China's lack of human rights, no matter how hypocritical.
Unfortunately for Taiwan, roughly half the population of Taiwan are made up of Chinese Nationalists. They arrived in the late 1940s from China and quickly filled the power vacuum left by the Japanese, beginning nearly 50 years of authoritarian rule where Mandarin Chinese was enforced as the only viable language, children were taught Chinese history and told they were Chinese, and any opposition to Chinese Nationlist power was quickly and brutally eliminated.
Taiwan, through the hard efforts of its activists, has only recently released itself from the 50 year totalitarian grip of the Chinese Nationalists to push forth a multi-party democracy. However, thus far, the Chinese Nationalists have used their nearly infinite monetary resources (they are the richest political party in the world) to use democracy against itself. Chinese nationalism is based on the idea that there is a strong, unified China filled with strong, unified Chinese people. A country called Taiwan doesn't fit into their plans, Taiwanese people don't fit into their plans. They've consistently shut down plans for increasing military self-defense capabilities because that would contradict their idea of Taiwan being a part of China, even though China points 1,400 missiles directly at them. They've shot down calls for reform of the Chinese Nationalist Party's "subsidy plan" (aka soft bribe plan) for teachers and civil servants, because it would erode their support base. Nevermind that it's unconstitutional, they've shot down most of the democratic reforms proposed for the 1940s-Chinese Nationalist-crafted Constitution.
I am pretty sure that the Chinese Nationalists plans are to take Taiwan, a democratic, developed nation, and serve the country on a silver platter to an authoritarian, developing nation, with little regard for the realities of what such a union would bring. Even better for the Chinese Nationalists in Taiwan if China were a developed, democratic nation. The bottom line is that, Taiwan, Taiwanese people, Taiwanese culture, Taiwanese democracy, and Taiwan's economy take a backseat to the ultimate goal of Chinese Nationalism, which is being able to feel superior and strong in Chinese-ness.
