China-Taiwan Relations in Terms of One China and the Taiwan Question

INTRODUCTION

This term paper focuses on China-Taiwan relations in terms of One China policy and the Taiwan question. The paper will first provide an overview of the historical background of Beijing-Taipei relations and its ties with the United States. After, we will discuss One China policy and its different interpretations.

From an international relations perspective, the Taiwan Strait, one of the most likely conflict zones in the Asia-Pacific region, has been dubbed the “Balkan Peninsula of the East.” The status of Taiwan has been one of the most intricate issues in international relations arena for the past decades. The Taiwan question is essentially an extension of the “two Chinas” problem, which creates a dilemma for accommodating the existence of Taiwan under the vague concept of the ''One China'' policy (Hsieh, P., 2009). The Taiwan issue has been regarded as the most sensitive question between China and the United States. Although China-U.S. relations have made significant progress, the Taiwan issue concerns Chinese and American decision makers for many years.

The Taiwan question has been at the center of Chinese foreign policy ever since the founding of the PRC. Normally understood as a question of state sovereignty, territorial integrity and vital national interest, the Taiwan question can be discussed at four levels. First of all, at the domestic level, the question is one of state legitimacy that concerns much of the rationale for the communist leadership in China. Secondly, at the cross-straits level, it concerns the enduring historic dispute between the Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Straits over the reunification of China. Thirdly, at the regional level, it is part of the regional power politics among the gr...

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