In recent years of the 21^st century China has initiated trade & cultural links with Taiwan in its attempt to welcome its “prodigal” return to

motherland. There have been even some hopeful exchanges at party level.

Here’s positively a great idea for a physical embrace by way of building an undersea high-speed rail linkage between them . . . never the bond be set apart.

Source: Beijing Times & Wikipedia

Wang Mengshu, a railway expert from the prestigious Chinese Academy of Engineering, said China plans to build an undersea high-speed rail line between Fujian and Taiwan, linking the “renegage province” with the mainland. This will necessitate the construction of a 150 kilometre undersea cross-strait tunnel.

The Taiwan Strait Tunnel Project is a proposed undersea tunnel to connect Pingtan in China to Hsinchu in northern Taiwan as part of the G3 Beijing–Taipei Expressway. First proposed in 1996, the project has since been subject to a number of academic discussions and feasibility studies, including by the China Railway Engineering Corporation. The route between Pingtan and Hsinchu was chosen because of its short distance (compared to other proposed routes) and its relative geological stability (in a region frequented by earthquakes). One expert from the Chinese Academy of Engineering suggested in 2005 that the Taiwan Strait Tunnel Project was one of five major undersea tunnel projects under consideration for the next twenty to thirty years.

Currently, the project is not considered viable due to lack of interest from the Taiwanese, staggering costs and unsolved technical problems. At nearly 150 km, the proposed tunnel would be nearly three times longer than the Channel Tunnel. In addition, Taiwan is concerned about the tunnel’s potential use by China in aggressive military actions. Nonetheless, in July 2013, the Chinese State Council approved plans for the project,[ although this “approval” is practically meaningless. Construction would still require approval by the Taiwanese government, which is highly unlikely.

Perhaps, an independent statesman of international standing like Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore would help to bridge & bring about the reconciliation between the two.