Original Source: Taiwan Studies
A bi-monthly academic journal supervised by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and sponsored by its Taiwan Institute. The journal focuses on cross-Strait relations as well as law, politics, and social issues in Taiwan.
Wu Yi, the director of the political economy research department at the Taiwan Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, analyzes Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan (LY) elections, which took place in January 2024. Wu argues that the strong performance of the KMT (Beijing’s preferred party) and TPP in the elections mean the LY will serve as a stabilizing force for cross-Strait relations going forward, given the support in both parties for greater cross-Strait engagement and shared opposition to what Wu frames as the “independence” leanings of Lai Ching-te, then the president-elect from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Zhang Hua, a leading scholar on Taiwan at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, analyzes the likely cross-Strait policies of Lai Ching-te, Taiwan’s newly elected president. Zhang suggests that Lai has and is likely to tailor his cross-Strait approach based on the audiences he is addressing and his various roles—as president, as leader of the Democratic Progressive Party, and as a potential presidential candidate for 2028. Zhang also suggests that Lai’s cross-Strait policy is likely to become sharper-edged in a second term.
Wen Tianpeng and Chen Xing, Taiwan scholars at Nanjing University and Beijing Union University, respectively, explore the motivations behind what they perceive as a reorientation of Japan’s strategy vis-à-vis Taiwan and implications for Japan-China relations going forward. In their view, the dynamics of U.S.-Japan-China ties are driving Tokyo to depart from its traditionally “low profile” position on Taiwan. However, Wen and Chen argue that Japan’s strong economic ties to China will ultimately prevent it from revising its official “One China” policy.
Xiu Chunping, a Taiwan scholar at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, argues that China-Japan relations will deteriorate in the foreseeable future as a result of Tokyo’s growing interest in regional security, particularly in and around the Taiwan Strait. She argues that Japan is increasingly willing to provide greater and more explicit economic, diplomatic, and military support for Taiwan, and draws on a complex mix of historical, geopolitical, and domestic political factors to explain this perceived shift – including Japan’s colonial legacy in Taiwan, power shifts between Japan and China, and the work of “Taiwan independence forces.”
A scholar of Taiwan and cross-Strait issues at Xiamen University lays out the “root causes” of the Taiwan Strait crises and argues that in the past 30 years, the PRC has improved its crisis management response. He advises Chinese leadership to pursue crisis management in the Taiwan Strait by continuing to cut Taiwan off from international institutions, arms sales, and diplomatic recognition and by using targeted escalation strategically to clarify China’s red lines to the international community.
This article, published in the June issue of a leading Taiwan studies journal, argues that the U.S. cross-Strait policy faces a “strategic dilemma” of attempting to support Taiwan while avoiding conflict with China.
This academic article published in a leading Taiwan studies journal argues that in a “post-reunification” Taiwan, Beijing should design a “One Country, Two Systems” formula for the island based on its experience with Hong Kong. Under an institutional design of what he calls “delegated authority,” in which Hong Kong enjoys a high degree of operational autonomy but Beijing retains the power to intervene when the “fundamental interests of the country” are threatened, the author argues that Hong Kong has transitioned “from chaos to governance.”
This lengthy “literature review” appearing in one of the mainland’s core Taiwan studies journals explores how Chinese scholars conceptualize the “one country, two systems” framework in relation to Taiwan, including how such a system might be implemented in a “post-reunification” environment.