Nothing can separate us. We are one family”. So said Xi Jinping after becoming the first president of China to shake hands with a president of Taiwan. The meeting between Mr Xi and Ma Ying-jeou was undoubtedly historic. And yet Mr Xi’s talk of “family” reminded me of the way that a Hollywood mafia don might use the term — in a manner that mixes charm with menace. The fact is that Beijing still insists that Taiwan is a rebel province and reserves the right to attack its family member should Taiwan ever declare independence.
「沒有任何力量能把我們分開。我們是……血濃於水的一家人。」這是習近平在成爲中國大陸首位與臺灣總統握手的國家主席之後說過的話。習近平與馬英九的會面無疑具有歷史意義。然而,習近平談到的「一家人」讓我想起好萊塢電影中黑手黨老大用到這個詞時的情景:既富有魅力又暗含威脅。事實是,中國大陸仍堅稱,臺灣是一個叛離省份,並保留一旦臺灣宣佈獨立將展開攻擊的權利。