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Pictured above: In all my 15 years of writing and podcasting, this is the first time my partner and the guest’s partner know each other and had a chance to say hello, before starting the interview. That is Peter Koenig on the left with his wife Monica, in Geneva, and yours truly and Evelyne on the right in Taiwan China. Couldn’t resist the temptation.
Sixteen years on the streets, living and working with the people of China, Jeff
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Note before starting
Another great show with Peter Koenig. This is not the first time, so catch all our work and his guest submissions here,
As a member of China Writers’ Group, Peter posts his work on Seek Truth From Facts,
https://seektruthfromfacts.org/peterkoenig/
He writes regularly for Global Research,
https://www.globalresearch.ca/authors?query=peter+koenig&x=0&y=0
Quick recap
Jeff and Peter engaged in a casual conversation covering various personal topics including art, travel plans, and religious experiences, particularly noting Jeff’s attendance at a Chinese Catholic Mass, along with his partner Evelyne. Evelyne and Peter’s wife Monica got to say hello to each other, after Peter and Monica visited Jeff and Evelyne for a few days a couple of weeks ago. Thereafter, Peter and Jeff discussed geopolitical issues and cultural differences between Taiwan and Mainland China, exploring economic interdependencies and potential future scenarios involving regional stability and reunification. The conversation concluded with an examination of global power dynamics, military considerations, and the potential consequences of various geopolitical actions in the region.
Summary
Experiencing Chinese Catholic Mass
Jeff and Evelyne attended a Catholic Mass in Chinese, where they were impressed by the African priest who spoke and read Chinese fluently. They decided to attend Mass every Sunday, despite not understanding everything. Evelyne noted that the Mass followed the same structure worldwide, making it familiar despite the language barrier. They also mentioned that the congregation welcomed them warmly and even applauded them, which was surprising.
Peter’s International Travel Plans
Jeff and Peter discussed Peter’s upcoming travel plans, including a trip to Ethiopia in late November or early December for a water project evaluation. They also talked about Peter’s recent visit to Taiwan and his just-finished trip to the Mainland China for a conference on integrating war-torn Middle Eastern countries into the global economy. Peter shared his experiences at the conference, which was organized by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Shanghai International Studies University.
Taiwan-Mainland China Cultural Dynamics
Peter and Jeff discussed the cultural and philosophical differences between Taiwan and Mainland China, emphasizing Taiwan’s Confucist, Buddhist and Daoist influences and Mainland China’s implementation of a peaceful diplomatic approach through initiatives like the Belt and Road. They noted the economic interconnectivity and shared cultural heritage between Taiwan and Mainland China, despite political differences. Peter expressed concerns about rapid digitization in both regions, while Jeff highlighted Taiwan’s successful Confucist-Daoist-Buddhist capitalist model that prioritizes people’s well-being, contrasting it with the West’s declining influence and approach.
Global Power Dynamics and Conflict
Peter and Jeff discussed the geopolitical tensions between the United States, China, and North Korea, with Peter expressing concerns about U.S. military presence in South Korea and its potential implications for regional stability. They explored the possibility of a future conflict, with Peter suggesting that a hot war is unlikely but that a “world war of chaos” already exists, driven by climate manipulation and disease creation. Peter emphasized the importance of recognizing the global power dynamics and media manipulation, urging people to wake up and resist the lies spread by Western powers. He concluded by praising Jeff’s show for its role in spreading truth and awareness.
Global Conflict Risk Assessment
Jeff and Peter discussed the potential consequences of using Taiwan as a proxy to attack China, emphasizing the likelihood of a chain reaction involving North Korea and Russia due to existing defense treaties. They highlighted the possibility of a global conflict, including nuclear involvement, if such actions were pursued. Jeff expressed hope that military leaders understand these risks, while Peter suggested that some in the Trump administration might recognize the scenario’s implications, preventing a catastrophic war. Both agreed that military actions often prioritize economic and resource control rather than security.
Asia’s Economic and Diplomatic Ties
Peter and Jeff discussed the economic interdependence between South Korea and China, noting that South Korea’s largest trading partner is China, not the United States. They highlighted the potential for diplomatic efforts to reduce the U.S. military presence in South Korea, which could facilitate reunification with North Korea. Jeff also mentioned the significant economic ties between Taiwan and China, as well as the extensive cross-border trade between North Korea and China, which challenges Western perceptions of North Korea’s isolation. Both agreed that these economic realities could lead to a more integrated region in the future.
Taiwan-China Reunification Perspectives
Jeff and Peter discussed the potential reunification of Taiwan and Mainland China, with Peter expressing hope for a peaceful process due to strong economic and social connections. Jeff shared insights about the current political climate in Taiwan, noting that polls may not accurately reflect public sentiment due to censorship. They agreed that reunification is likely to happen peacefully, with Jeff suggesting it will occur by 2049, the 100th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China’s liberation.
Transcript
Jeff J. Brown: Good evening, everybody. This is Jeff J. Brown, Radio Sino Land, in beautiful Taiwan Province. I’ve got a good friend, colleague, and comrade on the show again—this is not the first time, but several times now. Peter Koenig, how are you doing?
Peter Koenig: I’m fine, Jeff. Thank you very much for having me again on your show. It’s always great to talk to you, especially after we saw each other just a couple of weeks ago.
Jeff: For the first time, yes. The background to this show is that you and your wife Monica went to a conference in Shanghai on the Mainland about Middle East and China relations. I published your paper from that event, and I also published Thomas Wilkinson’s paper. I don’t know how many other groups had two representatives at that meeting—that says a lot about the quality of the people in the China Writers group.
You’ve been to the Mainland a number of times, and this trip gave you and Monica at least a taste of Taiwan. I always try to say “province” because I don’t want people to think it’s independent—it’s not. It’s part of China and has been for thousands of years.
Since you’ve just spent about a week or two on the Mainland and four days here in Taiwan, I thought I’d ask you to compare and contrast the two. What are a couple of things you like in each region, and what’s one thing you don’t like in each?
Peter: My trip was prompted by an invitation from the Middle East Studies Institute at Shanghai International Studies University. They hosted a conference on how to reintegrate war-torn Middle Eastern—or “West Asian”—countries into the global and Asian economic systems, where they naturally belong. I gave a presentation. It was very interesting—about 300 to 500 people attended, mostly students who helped organize the event. There were roughly 25 to 30 nationalities represented, many of them living in China.
The conference was co-organized by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the university. I’ve been coming to China since the 1990s, when I worked with the World Bank here. This time, I took the opportunity to visit my friends Jeff and Evelyn—and Monica came with me. We had a great time in Taiwan.
What struck me most is that Taiwan is a fully Buddhist-Taoist society, with countless temples and a palpable Taoist spirit—perhaps even more openly expressed than on the Mainland. But Taoism is deeply rooted in China too. China’s 6,000-year-old civilization is very much based on Taoism.
From my first visit in the 1990s, I’ve believed that Taoist principles are reflected in China’s current governance. I mean this in the most positive sense: Taoism is a peaceful, non-aggressive philosophy. This is evident in China’s diplomacy and embodied in initiatives like the Belt and Road.
The Belt and Road is a modern revival of the 2,100-year-old Silk Road. It advances globally through infrastructure—currently about six or seven active routes reaching Latin America, the Middle East, West Africa, and beyond. It’s a fantastic tool for peaceful diplomacy and economic development. I’ve always admired it as the best means we have today to connect people peacefully while fostering growth.
When you come to Taiwan, you see the same philosophical foundation—temples, rituals, Taoist values. Yet Taiwan claims independence, even though it’s already deeply integrated with the Mainland. Economically, about a million Taiwanese work in China every day. Cross-investment between Taiwan and the Mainland runs into the hundreds of billions. Entire industrial cities near Taipei produce goods largely for export—including to the Mainland.
It’s clear these two parts of China belong together—just as North and South Korea do. In both cases, division was engineered by the West to fragment and control. But this strategy is failing. The West is in steep decline, and its manufactured chaos is now consuming its own system.
My impression of both regions is overwhelmingly positive—slightly different in expression, but equally rooted in Chinese civilization. I’m very glad I finally got to know not just Jeff personally—we’ve known each other virtually for a long time—but also the country he’s chosen to live in. It’s beautiful.
Jeff: It really is spectacular. As I drive around Taiwan, I often think that when China began modernizing its infrastructure in the 1980s, it likely looked to Taiwan as a model. By then, Taiwan already had world-class highways, high-speed and freight rail, and sophisticated supply chains—developed from the 1950s through the 1980s. China’s real infrastructure boom started in the 1990s and continues today. So Taiwan led the first wave; the Mainland the second.
Could you describe Taiwan’s infrastructure a bit?
Peter: Mainland China is newer and more technologically advanced, but both places share a similar standard of cleanliness, order, and civic pride—hallmarks of Chinese character.
If I must name something negative, it’s the rapid digitization in both regions—more pronounced on the Mainland. I’ve long been skeptical of digitization. It doesn’t liberate us; it risks control and fragility. A single disruption could erase all digital data—and with it, access to money, records, and services.
I’m glad cash is still widely accepted in both Taiwan and China. I use it everywhere. As long as physical currency remains part of the system, we retain a degree of autonomy. The difference is transparency: in China, digitization is openly discussed; in the West, it’s hidden behind lies and surveillance.
Jeff: That’s the core difference: Western governments tend toward deception and control, while Chinese governance—both in Taiwan and the Mainland—is rooted in Taoist, Confucian, and Buddhist values. You can feel it in daily life, in policy, in foreign relations—it’s a completely different way of life.
Peter: Absolutely. Most Europeans don’t see this because Western media—their “lie instruments”—shield them from reality. But once you experience it firsthand, it’s clear: the future lies in the East. The West is collapsing—slowly for now, but inevitably.
Jeff: We’ll celebrate our one-year anniversary here next week—though we’ve spent about half that time back on the Mainland. Living in Taiwan has taught me something important: you don’t need to be a communist or socialist state to provide a high quality of life. Taiwan is capitalist—but deeply Daoist, Confucian, and Buddhist in spirit.
It has world-class infrastructure, universal healthcare, nonprofit hospitals, low inflation, a stable currency, and public debt at just 22% of GDP—compared to over 100% in most Western nations. How many countries wish they could be like Taiwan?
Peter: I completely agree. It’s not about labels—capitalism or socialism—but about philosophy. A peaceful, harmonious worldview matters far more than ideology. Both Taiwan and the Mainland embody this. Neither aggresses against others. The only aggressor in this region is the United States, backed by its Western puppets.
Consider Korea: the U.S. maintains its second-largest overseas military base near Seoul—30,000 troops, possibly nuclear weapons—ostensibly to “defend” against North Korea. But that’s a pretext. The real target is China. Any U.S. attack on Taiwan would likely launch from South Korea, making it a direct assault on the Mainland.
This region must peacefully but firmly eliminate the constant threat posed by U.S. military presence in Korea and the South Pacific.
Jeff: U.S. generals and the State Department keep hinting at war with China by 2027. What’s your prognosis for the next two years? If peace prevails, how? If war breaks out, how?
Peter: I don’t believe in a hot world war—at least not in the nuclear sense. We’re already in a different kind of world war: a war of chaos, climate manipulation, engineered pandemics, and psychological subjugation. These are the real weapons—designed to keep us fearful and submissive.
Nuclear war benefits no one. Even those in power know their wealth and safety would vanish in such a scenario. So they dangle the threat to control us—but the real danger is the theater of lies we’re forced to watch daily.
We must wake up. Step back. See the clowns for what they are. The only way to stop this destruction is collective awareness and resistance. Living in Asia offers a vantage point—you’re farther from the stage, so you see the script more clearly. That’s why voices like yours matter, Jeff. You’re part of the truth-telling that can awaken others.
Jeff: Thank you. And I suspect the U.S. Department of War—now honestly named again under Trump—sees Taiwan as a potential proxy, like Ukraine. But that’s almost impossible. China and North Korea have had a mutual defense treaty since 1961. Now Russia and North Korea have one too.
Any U.S. provocation—say, a false-flag attack on a Chinese vessel—could trigger a Chinese response, possibly including reunification with Taiwan Province. That would activate North Korea’s treaty obligations. Russia, grateful for North Korea’s recent help in Kursk, would honor its new pact. South Korea would be overrun. And 30,000 U.S. troops would be caught in the crossfire.
It would instantly become World War III. I hope the generals understand this—but so much of U.S. militarism is now about profit, not security.
Peter: Exactly—profit and global control. The two World Wars were never about ideology; they were about seizing Russia’s resources. Today’s hostility toward Putin isn’t personal—it’s about controlling Eurasia.
That said, I hope even the Trump administration has enough strategic sense to see the catastrophic chain reaction a Taiwan provocation would unleash. If not, we face hot war.
But there’s hope. South Korea’s president, Yoon Suk-yeol, leans toward peace and reunification. South Korea’s largest trading partner is China—not the U.S., which accounts for only 11–12% of its trade. Economically, Seoul doesn’t need Washington. If it strengthened ties with Beijing, it could negotiate the removal of U.S. bases and end the annual war games that provoke Pyongyang.
Kim Jong Un won’t move toward reunification while U.S. troops remain. But the conditions for peace are ripening. South Korea isn’t dependent on the U.S.—and China has long decoupled from American economic coercion. The U.S., meanwhile, relies on China for electronics and manufacturing. Trump’s tariffs won’t change that.
Jeff: The integration runs deep. Thousands of South Korean and Taiwanese factories operate in the Mainland. Components flow back and forth across the strait and the 38th parallel. You drive Taiwan’s highways and see endless small workshops—making screws, LEDs, chips—some human-run, some robotic. It’s a hive of decentralized industry.
And cross-border trade with North Korea is massive. Despite UN sanctions, people cross the shallow Yalu River daily. China hosts 1.5 to 3 million North Koreans along the border. Russia just built rail and road links across its 12-kilometer border with North Korea. Joint ventures flourish on both sides.
Peter: North Korea is one of the best-managed countries in the world—though the West refuses to show it. Pyongyang’s skyline rivals Shanghai’s. At the DMZ in South Korea, there’s even a model train labeled “Seoul–Pyongyang–Paris.” They’ve already mapped the route. Reunification isn’t fantasy—it’s logistics.
The same applies to Taiwan and the Mainland. Economic, social, familial, and cultural ties are inseparable. Xi Jinping has repeatedly affirmed that reunification will happen—peacefully, naturally, in due time. That’s Taoist patience: time is human-made; truth unfolds.
Jeff: Kim Jong Un and his sister—the foreign minister—have stated clearly: no reunification until South Korea is unoccupied. Yet U.S. bases bring corruption, prostitution, and social decay. South Korea has the highest suicide rate in East Asia. Young people are disaffected. Occupation erodes dignity.
Peter: My final wish is simple: peaceful reunification for both China-Taiwan and the Koreas. For Korea, neutrality is essential. The potential is there. These are not separate nations—they are one people, artificially divided.
Jeff: And culturally, the ties are undeniable. Taiwanese pop stars are huge in the Mainland; Mainland actors and musicians are beloved in Taiwan. The only obstacle is U.S.-fueled tension. Polls here claim only 3% support reunification—but those polls are rigged. Pro-reunification protests are censored from media. You never hear about them.
Peter: Interestingly, sources close to Chinese intelligence estimate support at 22–23%. And with a million Taiwanese living, working, and raising families on the Mainland, that number will grow. Officially, reunification is expected by 2049—the centenary of the People’s Republic. If stalemate persists, military action may become unavoidable. But I believe it will happen peacefully—perhaps long before then.
Jeff: I’ve joked that China wouldn’t need to fire a shot—just revoke 10,000 Taiwanese work permits, send them home, and Taiwan’s economy would collapse overnight.
Peter: True.
Jeff: This has been Jeff J. Brown, Radio Sino Land, in Taiwan Province, speaking with the ever-informed Peter Koenig in Geneva. We finally met in person after years of collaboration—and it was a joy. Peter writes for Global Research and Substack. If you write China-focused pieces, send them my way—I’ll publish them. My site now averages 30 million page views a year. People are listening.
Thanks, Peter. I’ll send you the link when this goes live.
Peter: Goodbye, Jeff. I’ll make sure Global Research publishes it too.
Jeff: Take care, Peter. Bye.
Peter: You too. Bye, Jeff.
###
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JEFF J. BROWN, Editor, China Rising, and Senior Editor & China Correspondent, Dispatch from Beijing, The Greanville Post
Jeff J. Brown is a geopolitical analyst, journalist, lecturer and the author of The China Trilogy. It consists of 44 Days Backpacking in China – The Middle Kingdom in the 21st Century, with the United States, Europe and the Fate of the World in Its Looking Glass (2013); Punto Press released China Rising – Capitalist Roads, Socialist Destinations (2016); and BIG Red Book on China (2020). As well, he published a textbook, Doctor WriteRead’s Treasure Trove to Great English (2015). Jeff is a Senior Editor & China Correspondent for The Greanville Post, where he keeps a column, Dispatch from Beijing and is a Global Opinion Leader at 21st Century. He also writes a column for The Saker, called the Moscow-Beijing Express. Jeff writes, interviews and podcasts on his own program, China Rising Radio Sinoland, which is also available on YouTube, Stitcher Radio, iTunes, Ivoox and RUvid. Guests have included Ramsey Clark, James Bradley, Moti Nissani, Godfree Roberts, Hiroyuki Hamada, The Saker and many others. [/su_spoiler]
Jeff can be reached at China Rising, jeff@brownlanglois.com, Facebook, Twitter, Wechat (+86-19806711824/Mr_Professor_Brown, and Line/Telegram/Whatsapp: +33-612458821.
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