Economic Reform And Cross Strait Relations

This book provides a discussion of the general impact of WTO membership on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and addresses the political and economic impact on cross-Strait relations of common membership.The book begins with an introduction which analyzes the state of cross-Strait economic and political relations on the eve of dual accession to the WTO and briefly introduces the chapters which follow. The first chapter discusses the concessions made by both sides in their accession agreements and is followed by two chapters which describe the manner in which the Taiwan economy was reformed to achieve compliance as well as the specific, restrictive trade regime that was put into place to manage mainland trade. The next two chapters deal with the implications of that restrictive trade regime for the Taiwan economy in Asia and with the nature of the interactions between the two sides within the WTO. The final four chapters of the volume examine the impact of membership on four sectors of the economy: finance; agriculture; electronics and automobiles. There is a post-script which briefly covers developments since the chapters were completed.

Taiwan and the Rise of China examines one of the fast evolving, yet very volatile, fragile and asymmetric, bilateral relations in East Asia. The insightful analyses provided by the experts of China studies should be of great interest to scholars, students and policy makers.

After more than twenty years of economic and political reform, China is a vastly different country to that left by Mao. Almost all the characteristic policies and practices of the Maoist era have been abandoned, with the goals of revolution in foreign and domestic policy being replaced by an emphasis on economic modernization, accompanied by radical social transformation and an increasingly significant international role. Yet, despite these dramatic changes other fundamental features of China's policy remain unchanged. This book explores the strategies of reform in China and their implications for its domestic and foreign policies. It challenges the misconceptions that no political reforms are taking place and that China is eagerly embracing capitalism. It also challenges the view that China does not abide by international norms and practices on military and security matters. Its contributors, all highly respected scholars, avoid simple generalisations about the nature of China's politics or future path, instead offering comparisons and contrasts between policy areas and regions to create a more complete picture of this complex country.

Since the start of reform two decades ago, China's economy has experienced spectacular growth. Today China has grown to be the world's seventh largest economy — or the world's second largest after the USA in terms of purchasing power parity. China's society and its political landscape have also been radically changed.This volume serves as a convenient handbook for both scholars and laymen to have a good overview of China's major developments and transformations in the political, economic, legal and social spheres since 1978. Such a review will be useful for appreciating the enormous problems that will challenge China in its next phase of transition.All in all, China has undoubtedly made impressive progress in most areas of reform in the past; but its remaining reform endeavour and future obstacles it has to face can be even more daunting.

China's economy continues to grow rapidly, with important consequences for its own society and environment, as well as for the wider world economy. This book provides much-needed insight, using the latest research findings, into China’s successful reform experience and its challenges over three decades.

The book offers such significantly in-depth evidence of the tremendous complexities involved in PRC-ROC relations that scholars and policymakers alike will greatly appreciate its broader applicability to current comparative research on contemporary East Asia. Lisa Fischler, East Asia Integration Studies Professor Chow has put together an excellent collection of papers analyzing some of the most important political and economic issues in East Asia. The focus is on Taiwan, but several chapters deal separately with the United States, China, North Korea, Japan, and the EU. This is a very useful publication for those interested in contemporary East Asia. Thomas J. Bellows, The University of Texas at San Antonio, US and Editor, American Journal of Chinese Studies The US policy of supporting a democratic Taiwan while simultaneously engaging China is a delicate and complex balance, with outcomes critical to economic, security and strategic interests in Asia. At the same time, rising Taiwanese identity amid the emerging power of China continues to change the paradigm. The contributors to this volume explore the political and economic dimensions of this complicated and pressing issue. Whether the US China relationship evolves as one of strategic partners or strategic competitors will significantly affect power relations between Washington, Beijing and Taipei. More generally, it will set the tone for peace, stability and prosperity in the Asia Pacific. Peter Chow examines the potential crisis, as well as mitigating influences, by investigating political, economic and security considerations affecting cross-Taiwan Strait relations. He presents broad coverage of recent changes of policy in Taiwan, China and the US, with special emphasis on the adjustments of American policy on Taiwanese identity amid its democratization. An overall evaluation of current US policies toward China based on realism and idealism illustrates the shifting US China Taiwan relations. This insightful treatment will be of great interest to students and scholars of international relations, political economy, foreign relations, Asian studies, political science and economics. Civic leaders and representatives of interest groups involved with US China Taiwan relations will find the volume of great value in their work.

First Published in 2004. China is increasingly influenced by international affairs, especially since its entry into the World Trade Organization in December 2002. Despite this, domestic reforms remain a priority, and as China adapts its economic structure to these ongoing domestic reforms, there are significant social and political consequences. These issues are thoroughly analysed in this volume, which includes chapters by both Eastern and Western specialists, thereby providing an interdisciplinary vision of contemporary China. Particular attention is devoted to questions such as the social compact in urban China, emerging social conflicts, nation building dynamics, and the redefinition of collective identities amidst the current dialectics between control and cohesion. The enduring theme of the book is the complexity of current developments in today’s China.

This book explores how technological change is influencing the dynamics of relations between mainland China and Taiwan. Using the latest research, it examines the acceleration of technology-led and how it shapes three key dimensions of the cross-Strait relationship: the overarching security context; the economic context; and the cultural context.

In 2010, Taiwan and China concluded a landmark trade agreement: the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) that sought to pave the way for closer commercial ties by lowering tariffs on several trade items. Just a decade earlier, both sides of the Taiwan Strait were ratcheting up rhetoric that seemed to point to growing political uncertainty across a region once a hotspot during the Cold War. What was behind this political sea change? The paradox of state policy in the cross-Strait political economy over the past three decades is that despite increased economic activity between both sides, national identity remains an important barometer in framing the prospects and limits of policymaking. In accounting for this paradox and how actors have dealt with it through problem definition and trade policy adjustment, this research utilizes economic imaginaries, a discursive field that shapes the conceptualization of economic life. As discourse and structure are dialectical in relation to one another, an economic imaginary represents an analytical concept to map out ideational shifts concerning economic life and national identity. Specifically, the author aims to address the following questions with the regard to the reconceptualization of cross-Strait commerce in Taiwan government policy: - What ideas and practices are selected and drawn upon by political elites in Taiwan to create new economic imaginaries? - How are these ideas being negotiated and resisted in rebuilding of social relations? - What are the areas of unevenness and contradictions within the discursive process? This research utilizes a combined methodological approach toward navigating economic imaginaries, including critical discourse analysis, analysis of collective action frames and the critical junctures that challenge their hegemonic power. Drawing upon expert interviews, key policy texts from political and intellectual elites, critical discourse analysis demonstrates the linkage between imaginaries and framing actions by revealing the cognitive mapping of the cross-Strait political economy, the dominant discourses that inform them and the ways in which hegemonic ideas are reproduced within the discourse.

This monograph analyzes the political impact of the rapidly growing economic relationship between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan and evaluates the prospects for Beijing to exploit that expanding economic relationship to employ economic coercion against Taiwan. It also identifies China's goals for applying economic pressure against Taiwan. To establish a framework for evaluating China's relative success or failure in using economic coercion against Taiwan, this work draws upon the conclusions of the large and empirically rich body of studies of economic diplomacy that have focused on economic coercion and trade sanctions. A large portion of this monograph is devoted to evaluating the cross-strait economic relationship and Taiwan's potential economic vulnerability to Chinese efforts to cut off or disrupt key aspects of that relationship. But this document also extensively analyzes the challenges that China has faced in its efforts to convert this raw, potential economic influence into effective political leverage.