Beijing never misses an opportunity to make an overture to Taiwan. Last month, Chinese President Hu Jintao, on the occasion of the centenary celebration marking the end of imperial rule in China in 1911, invoked “Father of the Nation” Sun Yat-sen to seek “peaceful reunification” with Taiwan. Ever since Chiang Kai-Shek fled to Taiwan in 1949 after the civil war in China and established his Kuomintang (KMT) government there, the relationship between the two has been marked by distrust and animosity.
In recent years, however, there have been significant developments towards normalization between the two estranged siblings. First, the Taiwan Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) was set up in 1990. Similarly, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARTS) was established in China in 1991. And, with the routing of the Democratic Progressive Party and the victory of KMT in 2008, there has been fresh impetus in the relationship between both parties. Indeed, the meeting between Hu and the KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in May 2008 was a landmark event. During the meeting, Hu called for the resumption of exchanges and talks between the mainland’s ARTS and Taiwan’s SEF as soon as possible.
Alongside improved political relations, there has also been economic engagement between both groups. While earlier trade and commerce between them was conducted through third parties, particularly Hong Kong, direct trade and commercial intercourse has now commenced. The global financial crisis provided a further impetus to China for economic engagement with Taiwan, particularly at a time when Taipei was witnessing a decline in exports, the main engine of the island’s economy.
In addition, last June, China and Taiwan signed the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement, while China’s State Council announced a plan to support the development of a special economic zone in Fujian Province. It also vowed to promote cooperation between the region and Taiwan.
Yet in spite of these upbeat developments, it’s premature to suggest that these steps will contribute to Beijing’s ultimate goal of uniting Taiwan with China. The baggage of history continues to cast a shadow, and China and Taiwan have adopted and practiced two divergent political systems. With this in mind, the Chinese leadership hopes that perhaps the Hong Kong model of “one country, two systems” may offer a solution. China’s strategy has been to showcase the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSR), whereby a democratic edifice functions under a communist regime.
Although the Chinese leadership has been as keen on Taiwan’s unification with the mainland as it was with Hong Kong and Macau, the process in the case of the latter two was hastened by obligations outlined under treaties. In Hong Kong’s case, the islands around the city were leased to the United Kingdom, which was obliged to return it to the mainland. In contrast, Chiang Kai-shek’s KMT was opposed to Mao Zedong’s Communist Party and Taiwan has since treasured its own democratic ethos.
The Chinese for their part hope that perhaps greater contact and engagement will gradually lead to a better understanding and improved trust, trust that will eventually dispel any apprehensions or fear among Taiwanese. It’s with this in mind that Beijing has pushed Hong Kong’s experience of “one country, two systems,” arguing the city has been able to retain its distinctive position and hard-earned democratic government, living standards and lifestyle.
China doesn’t, at present, have any timeframe for reunification, but it undoubtedly hopes that the normalization of the relationship between the two sides may perhaps lead to some sort of breakthrough. But at a time when political opinion in Taiwan itself is sharply divided, the road to even the Hong Kong model seems like a long and arduous one.
Rup Narayan Das is a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses (IDSA), New Delhi.
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gregorylent
one china …. and taiwan should run it
John Chan
@gregorylent,
If Japan, Korea and Vietnam join China, any one of those people can run China too if they get elected as the president of China.
a_canadian_observer
Except that they have zero chance. Have you seen any Mongol, Tibetan or Uyghuir been elected to president, or even a lower ranking officer?
VN, Japan and Korea are fine where they are. They just have to join the coalition of good to counter the evil. :)
John Chan
@a_canadian_observer,
You are getting less creditable by the post, majority officials, people representatives and security services in Mongolia, and Tibet are Mongolians and Tibetans.
Whether VN, Japan and Korea are fine where they are, it is their business; it has nothing to do with a westerner. Telling Vietnamese, Japanese and Korean what is good for them is a sign of imperialist hubris.
Grant
A bit of simplification there. Not all in Hong Kong think they’ve been able to keep their democratic past and Taiwan was not exactly democratic when the Kuomintang fled there (or even for years afterwards).
peter
To Grant:
“Not all in Hong Kong think they have been able to keep their deomocratic past…”
When did the residents of Hong Kong ever had democracy? It was under British colonial rule.
John Chan
Definitely not all in HK think they’ve been able to keep their democratic as well as prestige and glorious past, for example people like Martin Lee, Anson Chan and Co. who have to report to US Consulate General in HK weekly.
Frankie Fook-lun Leung
what’s your source to say these H K people report to US Consulate weekly? You are spread groundless rumor. Frankie Leung
John Chan
@Frankie Fook-lun Leung
I am surprised you missed such big article in SingTao few weeks ago. I guess, to you, any comment from bloggers defending China is groundless rumour; but any baseless fabrication smearing China from anti-China clique is accepted truth, and anybody rebukes those baseless fabrication must be Wumao CCP mouthpiece.
JUSTSAYNO
“what’s your source to say these H K people report to US Consulate weekly? You are spread groundless rumor”
Honestly, is it that hard for people to google? Aren’t lawyers supposed to be experts at researching? Anyhow, the “rumor” in question actually came from Wikileaks cables. The cables revealed that the HK pro-democracy activists have far more frequent contact with the US consulate than previously thought, and that the US has a key interest in HK’s political landscape. To be honest, I think it would odd for the US NOT to engage and/or partially fund HK’s opposition parties.
Frankie Fook-lun Leung
There is no denial that the political section staffers of U S Consulate in H K have contacts (albeit frequent) with Lee, Chan and others. What do you expect U S diplomats do everyday in foreign countries? Reading your blog? It is far fetched to say that Lee, Chan and others are reporting to the US Consulate. I read that article relating to the Wilkileaks. Thank you for reminding me.
Andao
Hong Kong isn’t really very democratic…it has strong rule of law and a free press, but what the hell is up with functional constituencies? They guarantee a pro-Beijing government based on their structure.
If all legislative council seats were based on geographical districts, then you’d have true democracy in HK. The makeup of the council would also be much more balanced between pro-Beijing and pro-Democracy camps.
John Chan
@Andao,
You are the one spreading pure fabrication to smear HK and China. The recent HK legislature election, nearly all the so-called pro West democracy fighters have lost their seats. The radical incumbent “Long Hair” was gone, and the Peak district where the richest people live ditched their pro West incumbent with an untested moderate one in a 2 to1 vote count. It is the proof of blatant failure of the western democracy and human rights propaganda.
People in HK are sick of the destructive behaviour of those pro West lackeys; it is the same behaviour of the Westpac, destructive and always blaming someone else for their failures.
Gary
As long as there is authoritarian, non-democratic regime in Bejing, peaciful unification is an impossibility, the Taiwanese and it’s people would never allow it, even with Hong Kong style system. Having a close ties economically doesn’t mean unification is eventuallity, quite the opposite, business is business, unification is a separate agenda.
Even if there is a future democratic China, I think majority of Taiwanese would prefer to keep their de facto independence even if China is not willing to allow de jure independence. The end result is status quo unless China decides to force the matter.
MostJustWantPeace
Hold on, you mean the Taiwanese people will not want reunification even if China is democratic? What I want to see (if I live that long) is what the Westerner’s reaction will be when China invades Taiwan if the latter declares de jure independence, and the former is a vibrant democracy.
JUSTSAYNO
Majority Taiwanese would gladly call themselves Chinese if China becomes more prosperous and Chinese citizens more civilized. Like most other Asians, Taiwanese in general are materialistic and enjoy status as much as everyone else. In the 80s and 90s the major reason why Taiwanese didn’t want to be associated with PRC was not because the fundamental disagreements over independence but because Taiwan media painted the people from the mainland were poor and socially awkward (which was mostly true). Many Taiwanese would have zero problems with losing their identity and integrate with say, Japan. In fact, popular Taiwanese shows a few years back have contests to see which Taiwanese girl can best pretend to be a Japanese. Now, it would be a challenge for most mainlanders to behave as citizens of 2nd and first world nations, but that maybe possible if China continues its current growth.
jeff forsythe
It is about time that the World refreshed its memory and its morals when it comes to looking at the brutal Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
It was to stop this cruel Party from expanding a few decades ago that American sons and fathers and brothers died in Korea and Vietnam.
Now greedy corporations are ignoring human right issues that Americans and the rest of the World used to cherish.
Along with Tibetans, the CCP is also attempting the genocide of tens of millions of innocent Falun Gong practitioners who live in Mainland China. The Falun Gong are a spiritual group that practice truthfulness, goodness and tolerance and the CCP, which practices torture, slavery, organ harvesting and murder, will commit any heinous act to maintain its paranoid existence.
By peaceful ways, the World has to stop this evil gangster regime. This is just my understanding, thank you.
Leung Pak To
Taiwan will follow Hong Kong’s model if Hong Kong becomes a democratic and independent city state, so it would be up to China whether it wants Taiwan to follow Hong Kong or not.
John Chan
@Leung Pak To,
Why didn’t the democratic and independent spirited people like you have never asked the imperialist British for the democracy and independence of HK in its 100 years of history? Too timid to ask? Worrying to be deported to no-man’s land in the Pacific Ocean, or locked up in the cells in the basement of the White House secretly and never be charged? Or are you still working on the brownie points to earn your soda pop bottle cap from her Majesty?
jim1980
As a fellow Chinese American and has family in both Taiwan and China, I like to see China Taiwan relationship stays as it is. Taiwan is already independent in my book. What’s point to declare independent and risk the wrath of China?
A lot of posters are condemning CCP for not allowing Taiwan to become independent. Guess what. That’s not the case. Most Chinese don’t want Taiwan to become independent. If there is democracy China government tomorrow, the government will take even harsher stand toward Taiwan independent movement. It may sound strange but CCP is the voice of reason in this case.
@jeff forsythez, please refresh on the history book. I know CCP did a lot of bad thing (culture revolution, Great Leap), but blaming Vietnam and Korean War on China is a little bit stretch. Vietnam war is civil war between North and South. China played very small part if all in that war. In fact, Vietnamese and Chinese in general don’t like each other historically. As for Korean War, North Korea first invaded South. Then US get involved. When General General Douglas MacArthur ignored President Truman’s order (and later got fired by the President) and decided to push toward Yalu River, Chinese then get involved. In Chinese point of view, that’s clearly defense mechanism.
Leung Pak To
To the rest of the world:
Be careful of China’s rise, as you may suffer the same fate as Hong Kong, Tibet, and East Kashgar! Taiwan will soon follow without the need to even fire a single bullet! It will be a big PLUS to the rest of the world if Hong Kong, Tibet, and East Kashgar were a separate entity from China!
Leung Pak To
Do not trust China! Once they have the upper-hand, they will abuse it against you and tell you that you are a part of China and somehow or miraculously the claims that follow which your people and land, regardless of race, have always been an inalienable part of mother China according to China’s history textbooks!
Frankie Fook0-lun Leung
Recent opinion poll figures that 60% of Taiwanese want to maintain the status qup. 10% want reunifcation with Mainland and 23% want indedepence. Numbers don’t lie. I spoke to Taiwanese business people living in the Mainland. They are the least keen to go for reunification. One of them summarized it for me: Look at Hong Kong after 1997. Before the hand-over, China promised them a lot. What have you seen after 1997. Mainlander treat Hong Kong people like dirt.