Chinese reunification Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Chinese reunification (or Chinese unification) is a goal of Chinese nationalism which is the unification of Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan into a single state under a single government of China. As Hong Kong and Macau are now under the sovereignty of the People's Republic of China, the only outstanding issue is between the mainland and Taiwan.
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2 Variations of Reunification 3 Support 4 Motivations and Prospects |
Until the mid-1970s the concept of reunification was not the main subject of discourse between the PRC and the ROC; each formally envisioned a military takeover of one by the other. The concept of unification replaced the concept of liberation by the PRC in 1979 and within Taiwan, the possibility of retaking the mainland became increasingly remote in the 1970s particularly after the death of Chiang Kai-shek.
With the loosening of authoritarian rule in the 1980s and the shift in power within the Kuomintang away from the Mainlanders who accompanied Chiang to Taiwan, the KMT began to move away from the ideology of Chinese reunification. In the 1990s, President Lee Teng-hui increased these shifts within the Kuomintang leading to confrontation with the People's Republic of China and splits within the Kuomintang.
Until the mid-1990s, supporters of Chinese reunification on Taiwan were also bitterly opposed to the Communist Party of China. Since the mid-1990s there has been a considerable warming of relations between the Communist Party and supporters of Chinese reunification. This has brought about the accusation that reunification supporters are attempting to sell out Taiwan. The standard response is that closer ties with Mainland China are in the interest of Taiwan.
After the elections of 2000, which brought the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party to power, the Kuomintang, faced with defections to the People First Party, expelled Lee Teng-hui and his supporters and shifted the party toward reunification. Also, the People's Republic of China has shifted its efforts at promoted reunification away from military threats (which it has not renounced but which it has not emphasized) toward economic incentives designed to encourage Taiwanese businesses into investing in the Mainland and creating a pro-Beijing bloc within the Taiwanese electorate.
Within Taiwan, supporters of reunification generally do not assert that the Republic of China should be the sole Chinese government. In addition, supporters of reunification also do not oppose localization of culture or a Taiwanese identity but rather see the Taiwanese identity as one piece of a broader Chinese identity rather than as a separate cultural identity. What supporters of Chinese reunification do oppose is desinicization or the effort to create a Taiwanese identity that is separate from the Chinese one.
The second type of reunification is one which is endorsed by the mainland; Reunification Under PRC. Although initially envisioned to be a military takeover, several attempts by the PLA to invade Taiwan all failed, and in recent times two different plans had evolved - one advocates for Taiwan to follow previous examples like Hong Kong in the One Nation, Two Systems setup, the other is a takeover through the use of force.
A third type of reunification, mostly contemplated at a civilian level, calls for a reunification under a new China. This new China has been presented in many formats, including a new democratic republic, a federation like that of the United States, or a system like the old Soviet Union. None of the political groups of either side actively advocate for these plans.
The situation in Taiwan is much more complicated. Many would not mind a reunification under the ROC; as in such a situation the interets of Taiwan is likely to be preserved, and life would not change all that much. However, a relatively small number of extremists would reject such a proposal.
Beyond that, reunification is a distant notion in Taiwan. None of the major political parties in Taiwan officially calls for Chinese reunification. Both the DPP and TSU are supporters of or at least sympathises with the Independence movement, and therefore strongly opposes reunification. The PFP officially advocates that Taiwan should maintain the status quo. The KMT has been consistently defending the sovereignty of the ROC, and the issue of reunification has been conveniently dropped out. Although the latter two have often been viewed as supporters of Chinese reunification, in most cases they are so in a traditional sense only. Their main difference to the pan-green coalition is that they believe Taiwan should identity itself culturally with China more, and opposes swtiching national identities.
As for reunification under a new China, the only case seemed to when the KMT suggested setting up a federation with the mainland at the beginning of the 21st century. Beijing rejected, claiming that Taiwan, being part of China already, is not a nation and therefore could not form a federation with the PRC. The idea was soon forgotten in politics. Support for reunification has also been declining rapidly for the last decades. By now, less then 10% of the population supports reunification. Currently, the only major advocate in Taiwan appears to be the writer Li Ao. Nonetheless, historically, throughout much of the last decade polls consistently suggest that 70% to 80% of all Taiwanese support maintaining the status quo - although the definition of the status quo is an area of intense debate.
After the October 10 speech by President Chen on Taiwan's national day in 2004, the latest polls suggest that as little as 5% now supports reunification, with just over 60% supporting maintaining the status quo. Nevertheless about 65% still opposes the founding of a Republic of Taiwan in 2008, the speculated - and to a degree logical - product of the 2006 constitutional reforms proposed by president Chen in his speech.
While there are virtually no opposition to reunification in China, the notion is bitterly resented in Taiwan. While supporters for independece remains at little over 10%, more than 70% of the population state that they would take up arms in a war against communist invasions. Partly this is due to the fact that Taiwan has struggled 40 years to put an end to its dictatorial regime; it is not prepared to give up its perfectly functioning democracy so soon. The fact that this dictatorship was a mainland one in its roots also discouraged reunification.
However, a much more significant reason is that China has alienated the Taiwanese population on several occasions. This stretches as far back as the 19th century, when Taiwan was sceded to Japan. There was an outrage, as many felt betrayed and stabbed in the back by the government on the mainland. The fact that Chinese officials refused to supply the Taiwanese when they fought against the Japanese aids to the resentment. The next incident would come when China took control of the island at the end of WWII. Much to the dissapointment of the Taiwanese people, the Chinese forces carried out masaacres and officials were corrupted. It was a sharp contrast with the Japanese occupation, during which Japan sought to fully integrate Taiwan into itself as the "5th Island". Japanese officials, though strict, abided by the law, and life generally improved during the Japanese era. It should be noted that Japanese infrastructure is one of the key factors behind Taiwan's economic successes in later years.
Later, after Taiwan's seat in the UN Security Council was replaced by China, the PRC began to put pressure on governments to cut diplomatic relationships with Taiwan. Further, the PRC claims that it is acting in the interest of not only its own people but the people of Taiwan, and asserted that its more militant actions are directed only at supporters of Taiwanese independence, who are manipulating the population on Taiwan.
Because there is a general consensus in Taiwan that Taiwan/ROC is a sovereign state, such diplomatic pressures by the PRC are highly unpopular. Taiwan's being forced to use such titles as Chinese Taipei when participating in international events like Olympic Games has led many of Taiwanese to cheer for whatever nation competing against the Chinese during the event. When Bejing began a series of missile test launches in a bid to affect the 1996 elections result, most Taiwanese disregarded the claim that it was purely intended towards independence supporters, pointing out that there is no way for a bullet to differentiate between the two types. The fact that there is no clear definition as to who is an independence supporter fueled further anger.
Although most mainland Chinese would claim that their government would agree to talk about anything - not even ruling out letting Taiwan keep its military - as long as Taiwan accepts reunification, Taiwan has never received such offers officially. In addition, most people in Taiwan viewed China with deep suspicions, and believe that only "a baby is naive enough to believe that". The fact that China refuses to talk unless Taiwan agrees to the "one China policy" is often taken as sighs of Beijing's insincerity, since most Taiwanese considers China to be playing with words in an attempt to disguise its true intentions. Most Taiwanese believes that the choice of reunification offered by China is no choice at all.
See also: Political status of Taiwan
This is an Article on Chinese reunification. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About Chinese reunification Development
Variations of Reunification
The idea of reunification between China and Taiwan had been around for decades. Originally, the KMT, fleeing from the mainland, believed that they would, probably with American help, one day retake the mainland. It was thought that Mao's communist regime would collapse in a popular uprising, and the Nationalist forces would be welcomed back. That was Reunification Under ROC; and this had remained the goal of the party until as late as the 90's. To this date some would still support such a scenario, although by now it is really an unrealistic dream.Support
As with support for Taiwan independence, support for Chinese reunification varies according to the type. Firstly, the general mood on the mainland is support for reunification by all means necessary. In this light the method by which reunification is achieved becomes irrelevant. However, in the government, the only acceptable format of reunifcation is under PRC - either One Country Two Systems or force.Motivations and Prospects
Chinese calls for reunification is in most cases out of a belief that China and the Chinese people are indivisible. It is chiefly the result of nationalist sentiments. For the Taiwanese, motivations for reunification is often more practical issues rather than lofty idealogical beliefs. Most Taiwanese supporters believe that Taiwan, a tiny island, ultimately can not compete with the mainland, and hence by reunifying as early as possible, Taiwan will benefit the most.