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Published online 24 June 2009 | Nature 459, 1044 (2009) | doi:10.1038/4591044a
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Biology society narrows Chinese rifts
Scientific relations warm between mainland China and Taiwan.
Taipei
Warming scientific relations between Taiwan and mainland China were on view last week at a meeting in Taipei of the Society of Chinese Bioscientists in America (SCBA).
Historically a Taiwanese-dominated academic networking group, the society last week announced its first president-elect born and raised in mainland China: Xiao-Fan Wang, a cancer biologist at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
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As a Taiwanese researcher working in the US, I am pleased to see the dramatic change of the relationship between China and Taiwan. I believe both sides are trying to find a common ground to collaborate with each other. I would suggest the more science both sides focus on, the better relationship both will have. One thing I often can't tolerate is that many Chinese scientists tend to bring political propaganda (like Taiwan is a part of China....), which often repeatedly stir up the tension between scientists from China and Taiwan. I have been having great experience working with many Chinese scientist in the US or Canada. I believe the best solution for both sides is just to leave politic out of science.
Hi Jeff, your short comment contains a lot of politics. It is hard to believe that you are trying to convince others to leave politics out of science. If you read the news carefully you will find that it is about the relation between Taiwan and ?mainland? China, not Taiwan and China.
"Warming scientific relations between Taiwan and mainland China" This suggests that you accept the position of the Chinese government. Later you acknoledge disputes - so what is your position on the political situation? Is Taiwan a separate country or not?
Not only in Science, but many issues between Taiwan and China is hard to elude the political consideration, no matter positive or negative. When Taiwaneses believe Taiwan is an independent country, whether people nationwide supports it or not? If the gonvernment in Mainland China acknowledges Taiwan is independable, I do not believe that the politicians can have any excuse to inspire Taiwanese to againt China. It is good to see Taiwan has a better relationship with China. Hopefully it is based on respect and confidence, but not who is belonged to whom.
Xue-Xian, Thanks for your comment. I personally feel when I work with researchers from China, there is no any concept or idea of whether Taiwan is a part of China. It is just like I work with people from France, Italy, Germany, UK and Canada.... You don't need to feel offended when I put my previous comment here. Maybe I am wrong, I personally feel many Chinese scientists like to enforce us ( people from Taiwan) to accept the propaganda that I mentioned in my previous comment. But I have to emphasize here that I do enjoy working with Chinese scientists here in the US and publishing many good papers. When the collaboration works well, do you sense any political issues when you see the paper is published on the journal. I believe this is a great reward through the collaboration but not the confrontation. I am sorry that you feel my previous comment has brought up any sense of politic. But the fact is that many of us, who grew up in Taiwan, all support Taiwan or called ROC is an independent country no matter how you view it. I also respect that you may have the opposing view. We don't know what will be going to happen in the future. Therefore, my purpose to comment this article is that I am very pleased to see the collaboration of both sides. This has been seen in many countries in the world, who not between Taiwan and China. Hoping you can understand my view and thank you for your comment.
To Craig, the statement ?relations between Taiwan and mainland China? is neutral as both ?Taiwan? and ?mainland China? stand for geographical places here. To Jeff, I didn?t feel offended at all. It is not wise to let your workmates know your politic views because you cannot simply turn your back to them. The conflict across the Taiwan Strait has split the Chinese communities overseas. I am luck to live in a western city where the Chinese community has its own radio and TV stations. Central to the success is that we never talk about politics in public. The same rule should apply to work places. When I supervised a student from Taiwan few years ago, we have never talked about the sensitive issues so we had no problem at all. No need to tolerate!
to Xue-Xian, Thanks for your comment! What I am sharing here in my previous comment is my past 12 years' experience since I came to US. Perhaps certain people I met from Mainland China may have strong responses of any political issues between China and Taiwan. I fully understand that I can't generalize the whole thing just because of my personal experience. Every one has his or her opinion regarding political or religious or other issues. What pleases me here is to see now, at least, the researchers from both sides can collaborate with each other without any interference of different political views. That's what I am emphasizing here is that both don't need to enforce the other party to accept some agenda in order to initiate the collaboration. Changing the gear here, one extra thing I would like to share is that I have been serving for a local Presbyterian Church in past 6 years. The members of the church are from China, Taiwan and Hong-Kong. I have never had any confrontational experience with any members in this church. Our Christian belief and value is way over the boundary in politic. So again, I am very pleased to see the collaboration of both sides regardless of how people view this between Mainland China/Taiwan or China/ Taiwan.
To Jeff, When you called many mainland Chinese's point of view "propaganda", you have inadvertently exposed your political bias and arrogance. The P-word clearly indicates that whoever hold the one China view are brain washed and cannot think for themselves. Therefore, despite your sweet talk, I am deeply sadden by how you treat people with a different political view. I am a mentor of postdocs from many different countries, my experience tells me that people definitely can coexist harmoniously if they truly respect each other's points of view. What spoils the atmosphere in a group is people who has a prejudice attitude and calls other people's opinion names. Posted by Loni Ye, 30 June, 2009
Despite the discrepancy between how Taiwanese and Chinese people think about as what political status Taiwan should be recognized in the world, I do feel happy that Taiwan finally gets some notice in major scientific journal. I've seen lots of news about the rapidly developing scientific community in China, but none of them talked about the well-developed academic environment in Taiwan, not to mention the fame that Taiwanese researchers have established in the science society by their intelligence, professional attitudes, easy-going personalities, and disciplined manners. The fact that Taiwan is different in many ways from China and is making efforts to further improve its academic environment should not be ignored simply because Taiwan has been a good participant for decades.
To Weilan, Thanks for your comments about my "bias" or too much political senses in my previous comments. I don't need to say anything except for that I am pleased to see the close collaboration between Taiwan and China. That's my standing point regardless of how people view it. Thanks again for your "strong" comment. I do very much appreciate the forum here because both side can lash out their different views instead pointing each other by missiles or guns like a few decades ago.