Reunification between two sides of Taiwan Straits: a human geography perspective
The current cross-Straits situation is in the second stage of the development of the Taiwan question.
Today’s piece is an excerpt from the paper “Reunification Between the Two Sides of the Taiwan Straits: A Human Geography Perspective (II),” published in China Taiwan Studies (Volume 2, Issue 3, 2024). The selected passages explores how cross-strait reunification can drive economic progress and analyzes the three key stages in the journey from the emergence of the Taiwan question to the eventual peaceful reunification of the nation.
For deeper insights, you can access the full-text version of the paper by downloading the journal’s digital edition below.
About China Taiwan Studies
Launched by the Taiwan Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) in December 2023, China Taiwan Studies is Chinese mainland’s first English-language academic journal dedicated to Taiwan-related research for an international audience.
With the kind permission of the Taiwan Research Institute of the CASS, I am able to share digital editions of China Taiwan Studies online, such as a paper titled “30 Years of the 1992 Consensus in Retrospect” from China Taiwan Studies (Volume 1, Issue 1, 2023)
Currently, the following volumes are available for download and sharing via Google Drive:
Feel free to explore these resources and share them with fellow researchers and readers interested in cross-strait developments.
Reunification Between the Two Sides of the Taiwan Straits: a Human Geography Perspective (II)
About the authors:
Zhu Lei, researcher at the Center for Taiwan Studies of Xiamen University
Xia Jiahui, research assistant at the Institute for Taiwan Studies of Tsinghua University
Cai Lihui, lecturer at the Institute of Economic and Social Development, Party School of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Chongqing Municipal Committee
Below are passages of the paper selected by me -- Jiang Jiang.
VII. Economically, Cross-Straits Reunification Facilitates Pareto Improvement
The criterion for evaluating whether a policy is good or bad should be its positive or negative impact on people’s lives. Promoting reunification through integrated development benefits the economies of both sides by achieving Pareto improvement – where at least one party improves without worsening the conditions of the other party. In fact, the economic integration of both sides is a mutually beneficial policy that allows Chinese people on both sides of the Straits, especially those in the business sector, to reap shared benefits.
After cross-Straits reunification, the trade and investment environment on both sides will improve significantly. Tariffs on commodity transactions will be exempted, trade in services will be opened up, and restrictions on two-way investment will be lifted. The free flow of logistics and personnel between the two sides will give rise to new forms of cooperation, and the deep cooperation between the two sides’ respective competitive industries will bring about integration of emerging industrial chains. Complete openness in economic and trade relations is beneficial for achieving economic integration and building a common market for both sides, enhancing the economic vitality and competitiveness of the Chinese nation.
After cross-Straits reunification, the fiscal and financial conditions on both sides will improve considerably. Both sides can substantially relax regulations on financial activities, optimize resources allocation, and promote the movement of production factors. Taiwan businesses will enjoy a broader market on the mainland, greater development space, a more stable and smooth supply chain, and more vigorous innovation. Taiwan’s fiscal revenue will then be used for improving people’s livelihoods, rather than paying for military expenditures. In times of crisis or disaster, the Central Government of China will provide timely response and assistance.
After cross-Straits reunification, the connectivity of infrastructure on both sides will significantly improve. Both sides will strengthen infrastructure connectivity, energy resource exchange, common industry standards, cultural and educational cooperation, healthcare collaboration, social security and public resource sharing, and basic public services. This will increase convenience and inclusiveness, so that the two sides will complement each other’s economic advantages, and Taiwan will enjoy broader development space.
After cross-Straits reunification, the economy and people’s livelihood of the two sides will be greatly enhanced. The mechanisms and systems for economic cooperation between the two sides will be further improved. Many challenges that have long plagued Taiwan’s economic development and livelihood improvements can be addressed through cross-Straits cooperation and the implementation of all necessary measures. Reunification will ensure people on both sides have more choices and more freedom in terms of employment, tourism, education and business. The private properties, religious beliefs, and lawful rights and interests of the people in Taiwan will be fully protected. Taiwan’s social system and its way of life will be fully respected. All Taiwan compatriots who support reunification of the country and rejuvenation of the nation will be the masters of the region, contributing to and benefiting from China’s development.
After cross-Straits reunification, the security and stability on both sides will improve. Not only will the economic stability of both sides be significantly enhanced, but also economic security and public security will be better ensured. Cross-Straits reunification will not harm the legitimate interests of any country, including their economic interests in Taiwan; it will only bring more development opportunities to all countries and regions across the world. After reunification, Taiwan will be able to participate more effectively in international economic cooperation, which will contribute to making relevant international industrial chains and supply chains steadier and smoother, bringing more business opportunities to international economic cooperation, creating more positive momentum for prosperity and stability in the Asia-Pacific and the rest of the world, as well as contributing more to building a community of a shared future for mankind, and promoting world peace, development, and human progress.
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X. The Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation Necessitates Complete National Reunification
A review of the past 500 years of world history reveals that national unification has been a necessary precondition for the rise and prosperity of a nation or region. In 1479, after the merger of Castile and Aragon, Spain rose to prominence. In 1707, following the unification of England and Scotland, Britain emerged as a powerful nation. In 1871, after Prussia achieved national unification, Germany rose to power. Following the end of the American Civil War in 1865, the United States emerged as a significant force. In 1922, the unification of Russia, Belorussia, Ukraine and the Transcaucasian Federation formed the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, followed by its rise.
The Chinese nation has a civilization history spanning over 5,000 years, marked by advanced culture that once led the world and indelible contributions to human civilization. After the Opium War in 1840, the Chinese nation faced unprecedented calamity. The Chinese people, including those in Taiwan, have never succumbed; they have shown a tenacious will to resist oppression and strive for self-improvement on the path to survival and revival. Since then, the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has become the greatest dream of all Chinese people. Currently, China is closer than ever to achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The economic strength, technological prowess, and comprehensive national power of the Chinese mainland have reached new heights, making it the world’s second-largest economy, the largest industrial nation, the largest trading nation, and the largest holder of foreign exchange reserves. The GDP has surpassed RMB100 trillion yuan, with per-capita GDP exceeding 10,000 U.S. dollars. Notably, the building of a moderately prosperous society has historically eliminated absolute poverty, leading the Chinese nation to a tremendous leap from standing up to becoming wealthy and strong. China is now confidently marching toward great national rejuvenation. By the centenary of the People’s Republic of China in 2049, China aims to build a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful. In this process of Chinese-style modernization, the Taiwan question must be resolved.
China’s national reunification will greatly enhance its people’s confidence and elevate international prestige of the country. After reunification, China will have greater international influence and appeal, and the Chinese people’s self esteem, self-confidence, and sense of pride will increase further. All people on the mainland and in Taiwan will share the dignity and triumph of a united China and be proud of being Chinese. Together, they will contribute even more to building a community of a shared future for mankind, promoting world peace, development, and human progress.
To get to the root of the issue, the core of resolving the Taiwan question lies in how to end the political opposition that has persisted since the mid1940s, a legacy of the civil war in China. When the evolution of this political opposition is examined within the broader context of historical development, the journey from the emergence of the Taiwan question to the eventual peaceful reunification of the nation can generally be divided into three stages.
The first stage: struggle for reunification. Under the interference of external forces, this phase witnessed a status quo based on a balance of power between the two sides. During this time, both the CPC and the KMT aimed for national reunification, competing for the dominant position to unify the other side, either through peaceful or non-peaceful means. The mainstream public opinion in Taiwan clearly leaned toward national reunification; however, due to the specific international environment, the positions and strengths of both sides differed, making it impossible to eliminate the political opposition immediately.
The second stage: struggle between reunification and “independence.” In this phase, the overall strength of the mainland has been growing continuously, which gradually widens the gap with Taiwan, shifting the original balanced status quo of confrontation to an unbalanced one. However, there are still insufficient conditions for the mainland to achieve peaceful reunification. The goals of both sides evolve: The mainland continues to strive for national reunification, while the “Taiwan independence” secessionist forces, facing hopelessness in subjugating the mainland, begin to seek “independence.” At this time, public opinions in Taiwan increasingly favor maintaining the status quo while leaning toward “independence.” Currently, the two sides find themselves in this stage, with the mainland insisting on reducing opposition, resolving differences, and achieving reunification through the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations. However, the “Taiwan independence” secessionist forces openly abandon the goal of national reunification, laying the groundwork for “independence.”
The third stage: putting reunification on the table. Possessing overwhelming advantages over Taiwan in both hard and soft power, the mainland will have sufficient influence to deter external forces from making military intervention in the Taiwan question. The cross-Straits standoff will be ultimately broken. Taiwan will recognize that the realization of national reunification is an inevitable requirement for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and that peaceful reunification is beneficial for the development of both sides. As a result, a cooperative situation for negotiation will be re-established. At that point, the proportion of Taiwan residents favoring reunification will surpass that advocating for “independence.” Under public pressure, the Taiwan authorities will engage in reunification negotiations with the mainland, seeking more favorable political conditions after national reunification.
The first stage began in 1949, at the onset of the Taiwan question, and lasted roughly until 1999, when the Taiwan authorities first publicly proposed the “special state-to-state relations” viewpoint. Over the 50-year course, although the Taiwan authorities shifted from policies of “counter-offensive against the mainland” to “peaceful evolution,” the overall policy aimed at striving for national reunification. The proportion of the public in Taiwan supporting the status quo while leaning toward reunification was consistently higher than those supporting the status quo while leaning toward “independence.” However, the gap narrowed significantly in the later years, with the two proportions almost equal by 1999.
After 1999, the cross-Straits relations entered the second stage, characterized by the struggle between reunification and “independence.” The Taiwan authorities began to publicly abandon the goal of national reunification. From Lee Teng-hui’s proposal of the “special state-to-state relations” to Chen Shuibian’s “one country on each side” viewpoint, Ma Ying-jeou’s proposal of “no unification, no independence,” and Tsai Ing-wen’s “maintaining the status quo” viewpoint, national reunification was no longer set as a policy objective by the Taiwan authorities. Although different ruling parties of Taiwan had inconsistent attitudes toward the 1992 Consensus, which centers on One China, the official policy orientation of each Taiwan regime shifted to achieving “independence.” Correspondingly, public opinions in the island, after several years of fluctuation since 1999, saw the proportion supporting maintaining the status quo while leaning toward “independence” rapidly exceed that supporting maintaining the status quo while leaning toward reunification, with the gap widening further.
The current cross-Straits situation is in the second stage of the development of the Taiwan question. In this stage, the emergence of political parties favoring “independence” in power, the introduction of “independence” policies, the increasing proportion of the population inclining toward “independence,” and the anxiety and fear among the people in Taiwan regarding national reunification are all normal phenomena. The internal driving force for the transition from the second to the third stage is the rapid economic and social development on the mainland, along with its policies promoting economic and social integration with Taiwan. With its strength growing increasingly, the mainland will further enhance care for Taiwan compatriots. Therefore, public opinions in the island will undergo subtle changes. It is foreseeable that the proportion leaning toward “independence” will first rise and then decline.
The ideas that “development trends should be followed” will guide the development of cross-Straits relations in the future. In the historical process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, the Taiwan question will inevitably be resolved, and this trend will influence the mainstream public opinion in Taiwan. The complete reunification of the nation is an essential requirement for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and Taiwan compatriots should not be absent from this process. Taiwan’s economic development cannot be separated from human and material resources from the mainland, while the mainland’s modernization cannot be achieved without funding and technology from Taiwan. Cross-Straits mutual assistance and win-win cooperation truly reflect the building of a community of a shared future. The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is currently underway, and the historical task of complete national reunification will surely be accomplished. This is a reality that all parties must recognize. Enditem
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