More people than ever say they are 'Taiwanese' and not 'Chinese' - and Beijing is not happy about it.
By Rupert Wingfield-HayesTaiwan today is marking "Double Ten"or 10 October, the self-ruled island's national day.
It's a peculiar legacy of the Chinese civil war. In 1949 the defeated nationalist regime of Chiang Kai-shek fled across the Taiwan strait to Taipei. For decades Chiang held Taiwan in an iron grip, while continuing to proclaim his regime "the true democratic government of Free China". Hanny is far from alone. Opinion polls this year suggest that 70% to 80% of people here now consider themselves "Taiwanese". That is a significant increase from a decade ago, when around half the population still said they were "Chinese".Since US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi landed here in August there's been a lot of talk about how long it could be until China invades Taiwan. What's less talked about is the economic squeeze already underway.
"China is the best market for these fish" Su says. "They eat them at banquets and celebrations. It's very popular." This growing sense of identity is accompanied by a growing sense of pride in Taiwan's own story - of its hard-won democracy and its remarkable transformation into one of Asia's most open societies.
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