Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

The cross-Straits relationship has been thrust into limelight since Tsai Ing-wen's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which rejected recognizing the 1992 Consensus, came into office. Whether peaceful reunification of the mainland and Taiwan is possible during the DPP's term is under heated discussions recently.

While the central government and most Chinese scholars are sticking to their stance of peaceful reunification and are putting efforts to this end, a recent poll conducted by huanqiu.com suggests that 85 percent of respondents are in favor of recovering Taiwan by force, which they believe should be ideally carried out within five years. Mainland public opinion toward Taiwan has seen drastic changes in the past few years.

It is understandable that the Chinese public becomes more inclined to recover Taiwan by force than by talks. To begin with, pro-independence forces are increasingly rampant in Taiwan since Tsai came to power. A video clip of a woman insulting a veteran who fled to Taiwan from the mainland before the regime change in 1949 went viral recently. In the video, Hung Su-chu, a self-proclaimed "citizen journalist," called an elderly man "a shameless China refugee" and demanded he "scram back to the mainland."

The incident is an epitome of pro-independence rampancy. Actions by these pro-independence forces have breached basic human morality, which has infuriated mainlanders to consider reunification of Taiwan by force.

In addition, with decades of development, the mainland has long established an overwhelming military advantage against Taiwan. For Chinese netizens, it is a matter of political will, rather than capability, if the central government wants to use force to take over the island.

Besides, while Taiwan was admired for its economic and political achievements in the past, the island seems to be losing appeal to mainlanders in recent years. The mainland's economy is now much larger than Taiwan. Taiwan's politics is also a butt of jokes for many. Netizens' shift in their attitude to Taiwan is not surprising.

However, taking Taiwan's public opinion and international pressure into consideration, a military takeover of the island is not an ideal choice for the central government and academia. The international community may impose sanctions on the Chinese mainland if the latter retakes Taiwan by force, and the island may also be perplexed by politically chaotic situations in the first few years. This is the cost that the mainland has to pay for a forced reunification.

Morality is another significant factor the central government has to take into account. Military actions will upset the compatriots in Taiwan, and this is not what the mainland wants.

Some scholars believe close economic ties across the Straits can bring political reunification. However, this theory cannot stand the test of practice. Highly economically interdependent countries have see strained and even hostile political relations in some cases, for instance, the China-Japan relationship. Experiences suggest that economic ties may not necessarily lead to friendly political cooperation. It is simplistic to count on the economy to address the cross-Straits relationship. The reunification of mainland and Taiwan is a long-term process which requires joint efforts and wisdom from both sides.

Whether a military takeover can actually take place hinges on the attitudes of people in Taiwan. If the DPP responds to President Xi Jinping's appeals to recognize the 1992 Consensus and the "One China" policy, military confrontations can be avoided. Otherwise, the DPP's pro-independence moves will eventually harm Taiwan.

Reunification of the mainland and Taiwan is inevitable. The Taiwan people still have the chance to make the right decision about their future.

The author is deputy dean of the School of International Studies, Renmin University of China. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn