Beijing and Taipei

T he recent visit to the Chinese mainland by two Taiwanese news reporters has once again presented to those on both sides of the Taiwan Strait the issue of dealing with one another more rationally and realistically. During the past decade, the relationship between Taipei and Beijing has experienced gradual, important, and encouraging developments. Such developments have, indeed, changed the nature of the relationship. At the same time, the two Chinese societies are facing and will continue to face new challenges both internally and externally. These challenges will reshape the relationship between them in the coming decade. We attempt here to discuss four basic questions: In the first place, what fundamental changes have taken place in the relationship between Taipei and Beijing? Second, why have these changes taken place? Third, what are the basic trends in the development of the Beijing-Taipei relationship? Finally, what can and should be done in order to manage the changed relationship properly? During the past ten years, military confrontations in the Taiwan Strait have declined significantly. While reducing substantially its troops deployed along the southeast coast, Beijing has changed its basic strategy toward Taipei from the Liberation of Taiwan to Peaceful Reunification with Taiwan. Beijing no longer regards Taipei as an enemy presenting a threat to its national security, but rather as a political competitor with which it should negotiate. Beijing's military and political pressure on Taipei is mainly designed to prevent the latter from seeking independence

Adversary · Beijing · China · Computer security · Development economics · Economy · Geography · Independence (probability theory · Mainland · Mainland China · Negotiation · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Hong Kong and Taiwan Politics · Law