Chinese Communist Party’s continued threats to seize control of Taiwan represent one of the most glaring examples of modern geopolitical hypocrisy. Beijing insists that Taiwan is a “breakaway province,” yet the CCP has never governed the island for a single day in its history. Taiwan has existed outside Communist rule since 1949 and has developed into a sovereign, democratic society through its own institutions, people, and political evolution. China’s claim to Taiwan rests not on governance, consent, or legality, but on an abstract nationalist narrative that treats territorial ambition as destiny. By that logic, China might just as easily revive claims over Mongolia or Korea—regions once tied to Chinese empires but now clearly sovereign in their own right.

What makes this posture especially dangerous is the CCP’s willingness to cloak coercion in the language of reunification. Threats of military destruction against the United States and repeated warnings of “inevitable force” against Taiwan reveal that the claim is not one of law or diplomacy, but of intimidation. Sovereignty, however, is not established by threat. It requires legitimacy derived from governance and the consent of the governed—both of which Beijing conspicuously lacks in Taiwan. The overwhelming majority of Taiwanese reject Communist rule, yet their voices are dismissed by China as though popular will were irrelevant to national identity.

This aggressive nationalism also serves a convenient internal purpose. As China faces slowing economic growth, population decline, youth unemployment, and rising social discontent, the Taiwan issue provides a reliable distraction. By framing the island as a sacred national cause, the CCP redirects public frustration outward and converts domestic anxiety into manufactured unity. Ultra-nationalist rhetoric has long been a tool of authoritarian control, and Taiwan has become its most potent symbol. The aim is not reconciliation or stability, but obedience fueled by fear and grievance.

The world should resist accepting Beijing’s narrative at face value. Treating Taiwan as a bargaining chip in great-power politics or as an inevitable prize of Chinese expansion normalizes the idea that force alone can determine sovereignty. Taiwan’s future should be decided by its people—not by threats from a government that has never ruled them. The CCP’s claim is not rooted in history, democracy, or legality. It is rooted in power—and power alone is not legitimacy.