Breaking the China-Taiwan Impasse

Donald S. Zagoria

• Publisher: Praeger
• Year: 2003
• Print ISBN:
  9780275980115
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9780313057557
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: International Relations
• Index: Politics & International Relations

Tensions between China and Taiwan are not likely to abate in the foreseeable future. The question of Taiwan's sovereignty is the major point of friction, and the continuing impasse between China and Taiwan is worrisome. Zagoria presents perspectives from Washington, Beijing, and Taipei on cross-strait tensions, exploring ways to break the current standoff. Tensions between China and Taiwan are not likely to abate in the foreseeable future. The question of Taiwan's sovereignty is the major point of friction, and the continuing impasse between China and Taiwan is worrisome. Should critical political negotiations falter, relations are likely to take on stronger military overtones, and the PRC may well develop a sense of urgency about Taiwan drifting towards independence.

These, at least, are the broad conclusions drawn from the ongoing dialogues among top U.S., Chinese, and Taiwanese figures, sponsored by the National Committee on American Foreign Policy. This Track II project provides a forum for top policy analysts from each country to discuss trilateral relations in a frank and constructive manner, and is an effort to explore means of peacefully resolving the current impasse. Among the more significant findings is that the more serious risks of conflict will probably occur in the distant future, hinging on whether economic integration can gradually lead to a reduction of political tensions, and that the United States should continue to oppose any declaration of independence by Taiwan and any use of force by China.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Part I: POLICY POSITITONS: UNITED STATES, TAIWAN, AND CHINA
• Part II: OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE FUTURE
• Part III: SINCE THE TAIWAN ELECTIONS, DECEMBER 2001
• Conclusion
• Suggested Further Reading
• Appendix 1: Excerpt from the Cairo Conference, Declaration of 1943, and Potsdam Statement, August 1, 1945
• Appendix 2: Article 4 of the ROC Constitution, Effective December 25, 1947
• Appendix 3: Excerpt from the Shanghai Communiqué on the Taiwan Issue, February 27, 1972
• Appendix 4: Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the United States of America and the People's Republic of China, January 1, 1979
• Appendix 5: Taiwan Relations Act, April 10,1979
• Appendix 6: U S.-PRC Joint Communiqué, August 17,1982
• Appendix 7: Ronald Reagan's Six Assurances to Taiwan, August 20, 1982
• Appendix 8: Excerpts from the DPP Platform, Adopted in the First National Congress, November 1986
• Appendix 9: Guidelines for National Unification, March 14, 1991
• Appendix 10: Jiang Zemin's Eight Points on Reunification, Excerpted from His Address of January 30, 1995
• Appendix 11: DPP's Resolution Regarding Taiwan's Future, Passed by the National Party Congress (8th Term, 2nd Meeting), May 8, 1999
• Appendix 12: DPP's China Policy, Content Compiled from the "Resolution Regarding Taiwan s Future," May 1999
• Appendix 13: Excerpt from President Chen's Inaugural Speech: The Five No's May 20, 2000
• Appendix 14: Excerpt from Chen Shui-bian's Address to the Economic Development Advisory Committee, August 26, 2001
• Appendix 15: Excerpt from Chen Shui-bian's National Day Message, October 10, 2001
• Index
• List of Contributors