Relations between Taiwan and China after the Missile Crisis: Toward Reconciliation?
1999; University of British Columbia; Volume: 72; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.2307/2672335
ISSN1715-3379
Autores Tópico(s)International Relations and Foreign Policy
ResumoC HINA began in 1995 to launch a series of military exercises and missile 6tests against Taiwan when the latter was seeking international recognition of its status as a sovereign and independent country and was all but abandoning the goal of unification with China. China's coercive military actions were terminated after Lee Teng-Hui won the presidential election the following year. Although the crisis in the Strait of Taiwan did not culminate in a military showdown between the two sides, it has heightened concern throughout East Asia that their differences over unification have the potential to deteriorate into war not just between China and Taiwan but also between China and the United States and, consequently, jeopardize regional stability in the near future. Revival of military tension, let alone military conflicts, in the Strait of Taiwan will have greater devastating impact on the entire region now that it is mired in a protracted struggle against the social, political, and economic aftermath of the financial crisis that erupted in July 1997. The prospect for an imminent negotiated settlement between China and Taiwan over unification and, consequently, long-term stability in the Strait of Taiwan is far from assuring. Most Asian specialists and security analysts believe that Taiwan's declaration of, or significant advance towards, independence will surely provoke China to undertake military actions in spite of the costs. According to them, Taiwan's independence aggravates the legitimacy crisis that is currently confronting leaders in Beijing and undermines its national security potentially culminating in the territorial breakup of China. After abandoning the goal of creating an egalitarian social order in accordance with Mao Zedong's vision, the Chinese Communist party's legitimacy to rule is now predicated upon a historical mission to restore China's central position in the world, which only a strong and unified China can achieve, and upon its role as the guardian of China's national sovereignty.' Chinese nationalist sentiments, which leaders in Beijing have stoked up to
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