China-Taiwan economic ties are now among the key factors influencing the relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait which is still one of the flashpoints in today's world. This book traces the origin and the process of how so-called "cross-strait economic ties" became such a key factor in China-Taiwan relations throughout the 1990s and how this factor has affected China-Taiwan relations since then. By focusing on "Taiwan's domestic politics" as it relates to the domestic conflicts between opposing political and economic forces in Taiwan over the political relations and economic ties across the Taiwan Strait, the book demonstrates that the growth of cross-strait economic ties since 1990 has significantly affected Taiwan's domestic politics which in turn has had a profound impact on China-Taiwan relations. Although the growth of China-Taiwan economic ties could hardly resolve the so-called "Taiwan problem" and might even lead to some political and economic conflicts between the two sides at times, through Taiwan's domestic politics, it has reduced the likelihood of severe confrontation, especially the military one, in the Taiwan Strait. As this book reveals, the interactions between the economic winners, the economic losers, the political parties, the government, and the general public in Taiwan's domestic politics as a result of the growth of cross-strait economic ties have played an important role in the development of China-Taiwan relations, leading to a very confrontational situation from 1995 to 2008, a relatively peaceful Taiwan Strait from 2008 to 2016, and a "cold peace" between the two sides since 2016.
Illustrations Tables Introduction Chapter 1: Cross-Strait Economic Ties, Taiwan's Domestic Politics, and China-Taiwan Relations Chapter 2: Taiwanese Nationalism and the Effect of Taiwan's Identity Politics on Chinese Leaders' Attitudes toward Unification, 1990-2008 Chapter 3: Taiwanese Nationalism within the Taiwanese Government and Its Effect on Cross-Strait Relations, 1990-2008 Chapter 4: The Beginning of the Domestic Conflict Over Cross-Strait Economic Ties: The Emergence of Economic Winners and Their Conflict with the Taiwanese Government, 1990-2000 Chapter 5: The Politicization of Cross-Strait Economic Ties: The Emergence of Economic Losers and the Conflict between the Pro-Openness and Anti-Openness Political Coalitions, 2000-2006 Chapter 6: The Anti-Openness Coalition's Conflict with the Pan-Green Presidential Candidate and the Victory of the Pro-Openness Coalition in the Presidential Election, 2007-2008 Chapter 7: The Domestic Conflict after 2008 and the 2012 Presidential Election Chapter 8: The 2016 Presidential Election and the Future of China-Taiwan Relations Conclusion Bibliography
