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orn in Taiwan and raised in were more opportunities for ex- Cao’s close friend, Lin Su, a
Mainland China, Raco Cao is change, fear would subside,” he Mainland Chinese, shares his fear
Bcaught in between, as tension says. and worries.
grows in the cross-straits relations. Citing Kinmen as an example, “I surely feel worried if my
“My home might be bombed. Cao believes it is the key point for friend has to join the army. He is
My flat might be flattened. Now, I people from both sides to learn and not physically fit, and war is cruel.
have a home in Taiwan and another get to know each other. I fear that something terrible might
in Xiamen. But if a war breaks out, “Under the mini-three link pol- happen to him,” the 20-year-old
I will be homeless,” the university icy, Kinmen has become a contact Xiamen native says.
student studying in Xiamen, says. point of communication. Now, it’s She admits that if a war were
“If I return to Taiwan, I must just a half-hour boat ride from Kin- to break out, she would hope Cao
join the conscription. Soldiers men to Xiamen. Once people visit could stay away from fighting.
must follow orders. I do not have each other and interact, they real- “I’d try to persuade him not to
any choice. Or else I could be sen- ize we are not so different. What participate or even persuade him
tenced up to five years in prison, we really need is not political ide- to take the Mainland side—after
and may also be restricted from ology, but to live well in peace,” all, that’s where he’s lived most of
leaving the country, wanted for ar- he says. his life,” she says.
rest, and have a criminal record,” In 2001, Taiwan introduced the Growing up in Xiamen, Lin
Cao says. mini-three links policy, which al- says that most locals treat the talk
“In case of war, I won’t do an- lowed direct trade, transport, and of war as distant and unrealistic.
ything heroic. I might be the first postal connections between Tai- “People discuss it, but no one
to run away from the battlefield wan’s offshore islets of Matsu and really thinks it will happen. My
or move to another country, be- Kinmen and the mainland cities of family sometimes talks about it,
cause I’m not a brave person,” the Xiamen, Quanzhou, and Fuzhou. but we don’t stock up on food or
21-year-old student adds. It resumed in early 2023 after both anything. It feels like something
His family shares his wor- sides lifted Covid-19 restrictions, that exists only in the news,” she
ries and concerns. “An uncle has allowing Taiwanese residents, says.
warned me to move to another their mainland spouses and chil- Lin also finds online discussion
country to avoid being conscripted dren, and mainland Chinese stu- about Taiwan is quite far from the
in Taiwan, as my family thinks dents studying in Taiwan to use truth from her own experience.
survival matters more than poli-
“We Want Peace!” tics,” Cao says. ferry services. “On social media platforms,
“Once people visit each oth-
“My family is just being very
pessimistic, and I agree. It means I
place, or in Xiamen, where I grew er and interact, they realize
Cross-straits residents cannot stay in Taichung, my birth-
up. That means I have nowhere to
go,” he says with a wry smile.
Cao believes that engaging in we are not so different. What
sincere dialogue and candid ex- we really need is not politi-
Cross-straits residents believe peace and friendly change is the way out. “Many in
Taiwan are sceptical about China.
discourse are the best way forward to avoid conflict. But what the media presents is of- cal ideology, but to live well in
ten a one-sided picture. After liv-
By Isa He ing in Xiamen, I think people here peace.”
are actually very kind. If there