Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

Taiwan media outlet United Daily News reported Monday that Hsu Yen-pu, commander of the army on the island of Taiwan, is leading a small, secret visit to Washington, citing US sources. The leader of the defense authority of Taiwan Chiu Kuo-cheng said this was not a secret visit, but an annual exchange. The visit of the Taiwan military officials to the US continues the trend of US-Taiwan military exchanges which constitutes a further betrayal of the US' one-China policy. It is also the latest provocation against the Chinese mainland.

The situation across the Taiwan Straits has entered an unprecedented period of high risk. The 1992 Consensus between the two sides is no longer in place, and China and the US have lost most of their strategic coordination capacity. All parties are preparing for the worst, and the room for maneuvering to ease the situation is close to zero.

On the surface, there is no way out for all parties. The DPP authorities claim that they want to "defend free and democratic way of life" for the "23 million people." They now have no choice but to "fight to the end." The US' attitude is to defend democratic allies, support the confidence of its global allies, and maintain US hegemony in the world. Obviously, the reason for the Chinese mainland to move forward is stronger - we are defending national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and facing down an active strategic outpost of the US' efforts to suppress China's rise.

It's conceivable that there will be more collusions between the US and the island of Taiwan. In response, the mainland will make increasingly intense and clear-cut military preparations. The US and Taiwan island in turn will take new actions to hedge, which will be met by a new round of follow-ups from the mainland. Given the fact that there is no script and authoritative coordinator for the highly intense trilateral interactions, all people fear that a huge danger is approaching - that is, it may accidentally spark a conflict, and a war may break out in an unpredictable way. In this case, can the three sides continue to play this game? Our answer is: Yes, the mainland can.

In fact, if the internal political relations of the Taiwan Straits situation do not change, the relations will only intensify, and there is no way out. The DPP authority is determined to seek "secession," the ultimate goal of the Chinese mainland is to realize national reunification. The two goals have no room for compromise. US hostility toward China is strategic, and the US will support the factors that undermine China's national interests.

This is a contest of will, but in the end, it will convert into a contest of strength. DPP authorities are attempting to overwhelm the powerful determination of China to realize national reunification with the will of a small group and achieve peace with an opportunistic mindset. They are dreaming. The Chinese history and the political rule of the world will not accept the way Taiwan seeks "secession".

Aside from strength, the justice of political logic is also on the mainland's side. The DPP authorities are taking their chances, betting that the mainland, for the sake of sustaining development, will not allow a war to break out. They think they are safe despite a tense situation. What the mainland needs to do is to smash their bet, and crush their will, creating a breakthrough in the stalemate in the Taiwan Straits situation. 

We should believe that under the condition of an expanding power gap between the mainland and the island of Taiwan, the DPP authorities have no other choice but to accept reunification in the end. As the cross-Straits situation gets increasingly tense, it will become most unbearable to Taiwan society. The will of the mainland will finally crush that of the DPP authorities. This is in line with the basic political laws.  

The mainland should continue to increase military pressure on the DPP authorities, while putting the necessary economic and legal means into use to let the DPP authorities feel the pain. The mainland should disregard the DPP authorities' sensational publicity stunt in which they vowed to "fight to the end," nor should it pay excessive attention to the easing or accelerating of US-Taiwan collusion. Let them fight their way and we fight our way. The tipping point that the DPP authorities cannot withstand the pressure any more will finally come. 

"One country, two systems" will become the door to peacefully resolve the Taiwan question. The DPP authorities cannot deny this most realistic and feasible arrangement. As the situation intensifies, the general public in Taiwan will finally accept it. It will become the approach of reunification that gains most support from Chinese society.