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They never did reclaim their country, with the Communists cementing their hold on power over the mainland. Now, the Chinese Communist government of Xi Jinping maintains that Taiwan is a rogue province that needs to return to the Middle Kingdom and that, if necessary, this will be accomplished by force.

That’s not going to fly with most Taiwanese, who have been living under a democracy since the 1980s. While they acknowledge a strong familial bond with Chinese culture, they want nothing to do with China’s form of government.

“We will never surrender,” Chiu Chui-cheng, the deputy minister of mainland affairs, told me and a group of other journalists who were part of a formal delegation to Taiwan in mid-November.

The minister painted a picture of a free and defiant country possessing the spirit to stand up and fight for its independent place in the world even when the odds seem stacked against them. China now has a dominating presence over many aspects of Taiwan’s daily life — trade, tourism, foreign affairs, national security and more.

What struck me most during what was my first visit to the island nation was not the differences but the similarities, just how similar Taiwan is to Canada. Certainly not geographically, of course, as we are one of the largest countries in the world and they are one of the smaller ones. Although our population sizes are similar, theirs at 24 million to our 36 million.

Once you separate the superficial differences like language and food, there is a more meaningful connection, one that is rooted in similar values about rule of law, responsibility, education, and democracy.