STRAIT TALK
AN IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS OF U.S.-CHINA-TAIWAN RELATIONS
The E-book examines the cross-strait relationship in fine-grained detail in order to promote a greater understanding of the issues affecting relations between China, Taiwan, and the United States. Dr. Bullard, the author, examines seven factors influencing whether or not China and Taiwan experience reunification / unification or remain separated. The seven factors are: history; culture; geography; law; politics; economics; and, security. Paying close attention to the factors, particularly the military, economic, and political variables, could help to avoid the use of force by China to solve issues with Taiwan.
To avoid military action and potentially a nuclear war, all three actors -China, Taiwan, and the United States - must explicitly announce a status quo policy that will avoid any actions, such as name changing referendum in Taiwan or a PRC missile attack to influence Taiwan politics. |
CHRONOLOGY
The Chronology is one of the most useful tools of the website. The detailed timeline of cross-strait affairs allows the researcher to examine events over time and across the same time period. This approach helps the researcher to place events into a relative context while providing the researcher with access to original source documents. The time periods are organized using the history of China as the guideline. The Chronology is updated monthly.
OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS
The Official Documents Library provides links to as many materials on cross-strait relations as possible, including government reports and official statements. Using the Library, the researcher can quickly find the original documents and place events in to the proper context. The
documents library does include information in Chinese from mainland Chinese sources and Taiwanese sources.
documents library does include information in Chinese from mainland Chinese sources and Taiwanese sources.
MAJOR ACTORS
The Major Actors pages provide fine-grained profiles of the four governments involved in the cross-strait relationship, specifically the People's Republic of China, the Republic of China, the United States of America, and Japan.
People's Republic of China (PRC) |
Republic of China (ROC Taiwan) |
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The Communist Party of China (CPC) of the People's Republic of China (PRC) is adamant that negotiations for reunification take place within the framework of the 1992 Consensus. The 92 Consensus allows each side of the Strait to have different interpretations of the concept of One China. The CPC's interpretation of the 92 Consensus is the Chinese One China Principle (一个中国的原则). The Chinese Principle is a political formula containing the process, such as people-to-people exchanges and economic integration, as well as the final outcome of reunification, namely the implementation of a modified version of the 'One country, two systems'. The PRC page provides a thorough overview of the views of the CPC on the current and future state of cross-strait affairs. Information is available in both English and Chinese.
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The government of the Republic of China takes different approaches to cross-strait affairs, depending on whether the main party Kuomintang (KMT, Nationalists) or the opposition party Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is in power. During the Ma Ying-jeou administration, the KMT maintained stability in cross-strait relations by building closer ties with the CPC through deepening economic integration, increasing people-to-people exchanges, and initiating high-level political talks. Under the Tsai Ing-wen administration, the DPP wants to maintain stability in cross-strait relations, while working toward acquiring political parity with the CPC as well as building the Taiwanese identity. Both parties work from the position that the ROC is a sovereign state, a position supported by the ROC Constitutional order. The pages on the ROC and the Issues provide in-depth analyses on the cross-strait policies of the KMT and the DPP, such as the concept of One China, Taiwan Independence, and 1992 Consensus.
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United States of America (U.S.) |
Japan |
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The government of the United States of America
maintains a consistent position on cross-strait relations: The future of relations between China and Taiwan must be decided peacefully by the Chinese on both sides of the Strait. But, the American government's 'One China Policy' consists of two frameworks guiding U.S.-China ties and U.S.-Taiwan ties. The frameworks are contradictory. In accordance with the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), the American government continues to sell arms to Taiwan, while the U.S. Congress continues to support Taiwan through various resolutions and laws, including supporting Taiwan's membership to international organizations that require no statehood. The CPC actively opposes the American government's relations with the Taiwanese authorities. It contends the ties support independent forces on Taiwan and violates the three U.S.-PRC Joint Communiqués. |
The government of Japan is included in the analysis of the cross-strait relationship. The signing of the 1960 Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security by the governments of Japan and the United States and the 1996 U.S.-Japan Joint Declaration on Security tie Japan to the U.S. regional defense perimeter. From the viewpoint of the Chinese leadership, both the 1960 Treaty and the 1996 Joint Declaration represent an endeavor between the governments of Japan and America to prepare for a future confrontation with China. The 2005 U.S.-Japan Two-Plus-Two Statement demonstrates Japan's growing interest in maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, while its 2015 and 2016 Defense White Papers express concern over China's growing assertiveness in the maritime arena. Despite such commitments and concerns, whether or not the Japanese government, in fact, would provide support to the U.S. in the event of a conflict between China and the United States over Taiwan in the Taiwan Strait is unclear.
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KEY ISSUES
Many factors affect the direction of Cross-Strait relations. The website in general and the e-book in particular identify the key issues that have bearing on the current state and future direction of the Cross-strait relationship. The major factors include: the concept of One China and the interrelated challenges. The challenges include the CPC's refusal to renounce the use of force against Taiwan and its passage of the Anti-Secession Law, which formalize the use of force against Taiwan under certain conditions, as well as ongoing U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. Other factors demanding investigation include the '1992 Consensus' that recently surfaced as a major issue between the CPC and the DPP, as well as the formula of 'One Country, Two Systems' . These topics and more are examined in greater detail in the Issues section. The Issues section offers the researcher even more access to additional resources, with a priority on providing the official documents collected from reliable sources.
COOPERATION
Relations across the Taiwan Strait moved from a state of hostility to a state of peace. From 2008 through to 2016, the CPC and the KMT worked to reduce cross-strait tensions and increase cross-strait cooperation. The two parties engaged in consultations to formalize relations and build economic ties as well as people-to-people exchanges. The interactions occurred between the semi-official cross-strait organizations, the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) and the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS). In 1990 the KMT established the SEF, while in 1991 the CPC created the ARATS to handle cross-strait interactions. ARATS-SEF officials signed 23 agreements, arrived at Two Consensuses, and implemented Three Common Opinions. In 2010, the two sides sealed a landmark trade deal, the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA); and, pursuant to the agreement's guidelines, they created the Cross-Strait Economic Cooperation Committee (ECC) to facilitate cross-strait economic ties in accordance with ECFA. The KMT and the CPC also formed two official organizations to manage cross-strait affairs, specifically the Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO, PRC) and the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC, ROC). In the past, the CPC, as well as the KMT and the DPP considered how to establish the basis for peace talks as well as how to build military trust across the straits. With the 2016 election of the opposition DPP leader Tsai Ing-wen to the Office of President as well as DPP legislators to the now DPP-controlled Legislative Yuan, the cross-strait relationship has entered in to an era of cold peace. The shift is in large part due to the refusal of President Tsai to say the term 1992 Consensus. In retaliation, the CPC has restricted cross-strait economic and people-to-people exchanges. As a result, cross-strait relations are in a state of cold peace.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Our section on Additional Resources contains selected works dedicated to relations between China, Taiwan, and the United States, namely books and chapters, multimedia, and reports. It is a work-in-progress.