A Taiwanese anti-communism forum pushed back hard on the idea of "oppose the Party, not the country," a stance that hardens Taipei's political line toward Beijing.

• Former National Defense University political warfare dean Yu Tsung-chi said new Chinese laws on ethnic unity and national defense education have tightened internal control to the point that the whole population is being primed for war.
• He argued that trying to split Chinese nationalism from the Party is now fantasy, and Taiwan should treat China and the Communist Party as the same thing.
• Veteran commentator Chin Heng-wei said China has never had a single day of democracy, so even if Xi fell, whoever replaced him would not turn democratic.
• Rights activist Lee Ming-che warned that a democratic China would not make Taiwan safer — voters there could just as easily back an invasion.
• The shared conclusion: rather than wait for change inside China, Taiwan should build its own strength and prepare for conflict.

Outlook: Expect Taiwanese debate to keep shifting away from hopes of Chinese political change and toward defense buildup.