Category: Buffer Zones

China and Taiwan are already quite integrated. Taiwanese people are able to live and work in China, and Taiwanese corporations operate factories there. The Chinese government has been luring them with tax credits.

Trade between the two countries keeps growing and is vital to both economies.

In many ways, it is the same relationship as Canada/US or Australia/NZ. Cousins who live next door and hang out a lot.

Those countries see no particular need to become one entity, because the status quo works very well.

To invade Taiwan means risking something more important to China – their economy – so that alone should be enough to dissuade them.

When the great split happens, Taiwan will need to choose a side. They will choose the East.

When the world splits in half, we will not want hard borders between the two. Buffer countries, slightly friendly to both sides, could be the answer.

A buffer country could (unofficially) facilitate illicit connections between both sides, with trade, ideas and people smuggling.

Ukraine is in the news lately. They want to join the EU. Russia wants a buffer country. Russia’s only option is to invade them, because Ukraine being a formal buffer country is not on offer.

Suggestion: Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine form a combined buffer.

Georgia and Azerbaijan are stuck between Russian allies (East), so ignore them…

The buffer has these aspects:

• Joint trade agreements with the EU and Russia
• A NATO like military arrangement
• Residency rights for EU and Russian people
• Agree to not get in the way of any trade/pipelines etc between the EU and Russia
• A commission on any trade between the EU and Russia, like 1%

In a full East/West split, the buffer can facilitate trade while neither the East or West have direct contact with each other.