This is my pure speculation and opinion. I am no expert but I still like to share my piece.
If the DPP is stupid enough to provoke China, I would think it would last maximum one week. Forget all the talk from the Americans. They would not come to help Taiwan. Why? Because it would mean sacrificing a couple of aircraft carrier groups and many American lives. This war would only be localised to Taiwan as any escalation would have terrible consequences for both China, US and the rest of the world.
But let's take this scenario a little bit further.
Assuming China is not successful the first time (which is highly unlikely), China can attack the second or third time over the next few months. I don't think the Americans are able to sustain that. If they do, they won't have too many aircraft carrier groups left. (They need them to cause trouble in other parts of the world, i.e. Middle East, North Africa and Latin America ).
Now back to reality:
Today, whether Taiwan likes it or not, Taiwan is being slowly "absorbed and enmeshed" with China's economy. The Chinese leaders know that, they will just sit and wait. There is no need to do anything rash. For every passing day, China is getting stronger economically, politically and militarily. No need to worry about Taiwan, there are other more important things to worry about.
Key Fact:
Thirty years ago, it was all talk from China about attacking Taiwan.
Today, thirty years later, it is all talk from America about supporting Taiwan.
Politics is politics and is never static, the assymetry and variability of politics is seen with the British and Portuguese return of Hong Kong and Macau, respectively, to the People's Republic of China in the late 1990s. What does China gain with continued economic integration with Taiwan? The bilateral trade between PRC and Taiwan reached over $168 Billion (USD) in 2012, now the current bilateral trade is nearing $200 Billion (USD) per annum. To give you a perspective, the bilateral trade between China and Taiwan is more than the combined economies of Brunei and Vietnam.
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China benefits , clearly, on the current One China Platform and the current relationship Beijing has with Taipei. Despite US alignment in Asia, this does not negate the economic integration , and the eventuality of integration in time. Can the US impede the nearly $200 Billion trade Taiwan and China have? Can any power stop said cultural and economic integration? Absolutely not. Why should China seize Taiwan by force when she already enjoys a massive economic relationship with Taiwan? All China has to do is merely wait , eventually, Taiwan will be joined. If it takes 3 to 5 decades, who cares. What is half a century to China, a Civilization state that is over 5 millennia. A century is a blink in the lifetime of China.
yes quite impressive, anyway full integration is just a matter of time. And time we have while our muscles are expanding rapidly.
I doubt China will seize Taiwan militarily. It did not do such to Macau (owned by the Portuguese for close to 5 centuries), and Hong Kong (owned by the British for close to 2 centuries). Did the PLA send tanks to seize the Pearl of the Orient (HK) ? No. She (HK) was handed to the Chinese on a platter in '97. No casualties.
Taiwan, will be reunited. Even if it takes 5 decades to a century, it will rejoin with the Chinese Motherland. Hong kong and Macau is an example of that natural , historical inevitability. America's power will not last for ever, and it will not control the region in a century's time. When China's power exceeds that of America's, expect policy changes in the region.