The status quo can go on indefinitely. Taiwan gains almost nothing from actual independence. Chinese people don't seem to think of Taiwan unless it's brought up

The status quo can go on indefinitely. Taiwan gains almost nothing from actual independence. Chinese people don't seem to think of Taiwan unless it's brought up; they've already declared themselves the winner of the civil war and the whole world legally agrees. In dynastic times, China had many tributary states who acknowledged the power of China but otherwise went about their own business, and the current status quo is not far from that.