To what extent are the coal mines of the PRC privatized (see below)? If they aren't, why is "privatization" an issue?
Jim Devine
Perhaps 40-50% of coal produced in China comes out of private mines. Because they're usually much smaller, they make up the bulk of coal mines, however. There's a big difference in terms of safety. Private mines eat up miners at a rate several times that of large state-run mines. But competition from 'lean and mean' private mines is affecting how state mines are operating, as coal prices were mostly deregulated in 1993-4.
btw, I don't think China's leadership is actually interested in launching a war to retake Taiwan. But with all pretentions to socialism/communism gone, the only levers of legitimacy left are rising standards of living and nationalism. The Hu-Wen leadership might not survive if it looked soft on the issue of Taiwan, but this is a long long way from wanting a war.
The US is also less than enthusiastic about de jure Taiwanese indepenedence as far as I can tell. The 'Blue Team' of course wants to use Taiwan as a wedge to topple China's leadership, but they are not driving US policy right now. People were worried after Bush's first installation that the administration was going to make China one axis of its delerious evil-generating whirlygig, but 9/11 put an end to that, and the China hawks flew home to roost and brood. They are making more sounds recently, over the EU resumption in weapon sales and China's growing military, but I don't see the US administration wanting to open a new front of antagonism.
So everyone ends up supporting the status quo, despite making sounds to the contrary to appease local constituencies.
Charles wrote:
"The main oppressor nationalism involved in the history and origin of Taiwan as a separate nation was the U.S. imperialism, not China's."
Very much disagree. Japan's annexation of Taiwan in 1895 provoked an actual declaration of independence in Taiwan, and while the US was of course crucial in supporting the KMT after 47 and preventing the communists from taking over Taiwan after the outbreak of the Korean War, it supported the side (KMT) that was violently opposed to the idea of Taiwan as a separate nation. US ambivalence on this Taiwanese independence continues to this day.
Cheers,
Jonathan
