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Taiwan Primer
Assessment: The Republic of China (ROC), or Taiwan, continues to walk a fine political line between what it considers ‘de facto’ independence from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the PRC’s intention to “reunify” with what Beijing considers to be a renegade, breakaway province. Despite being one of Asia’s most prosperous territories on a per capita basis, Taiwan is not totally recognized in international society as a separate political entity, and is continually being squeezed out of global organizations as Beijing promotes its “one China” policy. Although Taiwan’s technological military superiority is rapidly being overtaken by Beijing’s military modernization, U.S. support still dampens the possibility of conflict in the near term. Yet as China’s military capabilities rapidly grow, they lessen the likelihood of this factor remaining an effective deterrent. President Ma Ying-jeou’s reaffirmation of his campaign promise to enhance cross-strait ties has both sides hinting at resuming talks, while Ma also wants Beijing to back off on its diplomatic squeeze of Taiwan on the international stage.
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