Taiwan Issue Research Articles

THE TAIWAN ISSUE IN US-CHINA RELATIONS

The article deals with the Taiwan issue in relations between China and the United States of America in the period 1969-1993. Particular attention is paid to issues related to Taiwan, and the place of this issue in the development of relations between the United States and China is shown.

The End of the U.S. Policy of “Strategic ambiguity” toward Taiwan?

The article explores the meaning, the process of formation and the political foundation of the concept of “strategic ambiguity” in US policy towards the Taiwan issue. The author discusses whether the Biden administration has abandoned it in favor of “strategic clarity”. The paper analyzes the political and academic debate over the policy of “strategic ambiguity” and the implications of the American administration’s current policy for the U.S. interests in Asia.

Few Remarks on the Genesis of Political and Dogmatic Problems of Modern Catholicism in China

The paper presents an attempt to fill in some research gaps in the relationships between the Government and Catholics of the People’s Republic of China with the Vatican and with the Catholic Church as a whole. It is a common knowledge, that there are no official ties between Chinese Catholics and the Holy See, which is caused not only by general historical reasons, but also by specific circumstances, which include the tragedy associated with the execution of the Italian pilot of the First World War, Antonio Riva, who lived in Beijing and was executed for trumped up accusations. The publication shows how the relationship between the Chinese authorities and the Papal Throne, already complicated by centuries of misunderstanding, was further undermined due to an insoluble tangle of problems, associated with the non-recognition of Taiwan. Considerable attention is paid to the personality and statements of the Bishop of Beijing Fu Tieshan (1930—2007), being a kind of mouthpiece of the Chinese government in matters of the the authorities’ attitude to both their Catholic citizens and to the Papal Curia. On the example of Fu Tieshan’s rhetoric of the early 80s, who concurrently headed the Chinese Patriotic Association, the author demonstrates the complexity of the Chinese Catholics’ situation, positioned between the “rock” of the CPC and the “hard place” of the Vatican, which holds a rather flexible position on the issue of diplomatic relations with Taiwan, being a necessary condition for building bridges between the Chinese believers and Rome. The paper also pays attention to another hitherto unresolved issue, i.e., the issue of the appointment of Catholic bishops in the PRC: The Vatican is fighting for its right to approve bishops appointed by the Chinese government. The author expresses cautious optimism regarding the possible resolution of the considered problems, with inevitable skepticism singling out the intractable “Taiwan question” in these positive expectations.

Китайско-американские отношения и проблема Тайваня

The problems of Chinese-American relations over the course of fifty years since the establishment of the first contacts, related to the solution of the Taiwan issue, which, according to the official representatives of the PRC, is a key one in bilateral relations, are considered. The evolution and reasons for the change in the approaches of the Chinese and American sides to solving this problem are analyzed. In conclusion, it is indicated that in modern conditions, taking into account various circumstances, both objective and subjective, such a development of events that can dramatically change the state of modern Sino-American relations is not excluded.

Political and legal origins of the Taiwan issue

Political and legal origins of the Taiwan issue

Political Economy of Cross-Strait Relations

The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the interrelation of political and economic factors in Cross-Strait relations. The main political factor considered in the study is the policy of the ruling party in Taiwan towards the Mainland, its acceptance of Beijings One China policy and 1992 Consensus, put forward by Mainland China as a political basis for building Cross-Strait dialogue between the parties. Key economic factors include economic cooperation and exchanges between the two sides in such fields as bilateral trade, international capital flows and tourism. The relevance of the study refers to the settlement of the so-called Taiwan issue and the implementation of the complete reunification of the Peoples Republic of China that embodies one of the fundamental interests of Mainland China. The aim of the research is to examine the impact of political cycle in Taiwan on the economic cooperation between Beijing and Taipei, the further intensification of which could lead to the peaceful reunification through economic integration. The study provides a broad overview of the development of relations between Taiwan and Mainland China, focusing on the policies of the Taipei administrations from 1949 to 2019 and its impact on economic cooperation between the two sides. The methodological framework of the paper is mainly based on international political economy. The results of the research suggest that political cycle in Taiwan has almost no impact on Cross-Strait trade and investment. Meanwhile it has quite significant influence on Cross-Strait tourism, especially from the PRC, as it has the administrative means of regulation of the number of Mainland tourists wishing to visit Taiwan.

US policy on Taiwan 2002–2018

The Taiwan issue has always been the most sensitive and difficult in China – US relations. This article examines the US policy on Taiwan from 2002 to 2018 in the context of the Sino – US relations related to China’s territorial unification and sovereignty integrity. The article also concerns the global strategic interests of the United States. In particular, after the Trump administration came to power it fre- quently touched China’s bottom line of maintaining adherence to the One China poli- cy, which led to a rise of the Taiwan issue and aggravated the turmoil in the Taiwan Strait. The US policy toward Taiwan has changed not only on the issue of peace and stability across Taiwan Strait but also related to the increased risk of Sino – US mili- tary conflict. Therefore, it is very important to consider the US policy toward Taiwan during outlined period. The author adopts historical analysis and literature research methods, and based on a significant number of the scientific research results of Chinese and American scholars. The research content covers the Taiwan policy of the administra- tion Bush, Obama, and Trump. The author attempts to expose the strategic essence behind the US policy toward Taiwan, focusing on analyzing the relationship between US policymaking and the China and Taiwan’ relationship factors. The article finds that the US Taiwan policy can be generally regarded as subordination to the China strategy, but there are some cases different from it. On this basis, this article discov- ers variables of China – US relations, US – Taiwan relations, the United States Con- gress and Taiwan politics to prove the hypothesis that US Taiwan policy follows the China’s policy in the majority of cases.

Authentication of fish species served in conveyor-belt sushi restaurants in Taiwan using DNA barcoding

Fish fraud is a problem worldwide. Not only does it erode customer confidence, but it also jeopardizes public health. Typically, it is difficult to authenticate fish species identity based on morphological characters after food processing. Fortunately, DNA is relatively resistant to processing methods, and DNA barcoding has proven useful for species identification. Although fishery product mislabeling is recognized as an issue in Taiwan, a respective study on sushi has not yet been conducted. Here, we successfully DNA-barcoded 121 out of 122 sushi samples from eleven chain restaurants of the conveyor-belt type in Taiwan, revealing an overall mislabeling rate of ~17.36%. We found that capelin roe is commonly used to replace other fish roe, such as herring. Tuna, which is susceptible to fraud, was always correctly labeled. We also noted inconsistent usage of Chinese common names, conflict between Chinese and English names, and ambiguous usage of Japanese kanji in Chinese labels, all serving to confuse species identity. Moreover, spurious reference sequences in the BOLD database and the lack of a standard list of common names of fishes with their corresponding scientific name both impede investigations of fish substitution. We advocate that the responsible authorities establish a reliable barcoding database for molecular authentication of fishes, publish a respective standard for common and scientific names, and legislate for more comprehensive labeling regulations based on experience in other jurisdictions to facilitate mislabeling investigations and to deter food fraud. • A high successful rate in amplifying full-length DNA barcodes from sushi samples. • “Correctly” labeled items may not have matched customer expectations. • A reliable barcoding database is required. • A “Taiwanese Fish Names Standard” is appealed to be constructed. • A comprehensive labeling regulations is needed for food fraud investigations.

Стратегия США в Индо-Тихоокеанском регионе и отношения с КНР

The aim of the research is to analyse the US strategy in the Indo-Pacific region and its impact on relations with the PRC. This article examines the basic principles of the US Indo-Pacific Strategy set out in the 2017 US National Security Strategy, in the 2019 report “Indo-Pacific region. Readiness, partnership and assistance of the regional network”, the 2020 US Strategic Approach to China. The balance of forces and the development of relations between the US and the PRC in the Indo-Pacific region are analysed. The originality of the research lies in the fact that the emerging competition between the two states for leading positions in the Indo-Pacific region can be seen in the proposed concept of China “One Belt, One Road” and in the US strategy of “free and open Indo-Pacific strategy”. As a result, it is determined that in recent years, there has been a significant increase in tension in the South China Sea due to the increase in military infrastructure in the disputed territories of the Paracel Islands and Spratly Islands. The Taiwan issue remains a controversial factor in the development of Sino-American relations.

Source apportionment of black carbon using light absorption measurement and impact of biomass burning smoke on air quality over rural central Taiwan: A yearlong study

Biomass burning episodes are critical particulate matter (PM) issues in Taiwan. The occurrence patterns of biomass burning events through long-term PM monitoring are worth further exploration. This study monitored PM10, PM2.5, and black carbon (BC) over one year in central Taiwan. The source apportionment of BC was examined using light absorption techniques and divided into fossil fuel combustion (BCf) and biomass burning (BCb). The monitoring results showed that the annual average PM10, PM2.5, and BC mass concentrations were 45.4 μg/m3, 19.8 μg/m3, and 0.79 μg/m3, respectively, while the annual average ratio of BC/PM2.5 was 0.044. Furthermore, BCf was remarkably higher than BCb, accounting for 89% of the total BC mass. However, it was noticed that biomass burning smoke impacted the air quality by enhancing PM10, PM2.5, and BCb over monitoring location. There were 14.4% of hourly PM10 events (≥125 μg/m3) and 10.0% of hourly PM2.5 events (≥35 μg/m3) resulting from biomass burning episodes at this monitoring site in one-year observation. The hourly average PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations during these biomass burning episodes were 2.1 and 2.3 times higher than the annual average PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations. During severe biomass burning episodes, high levels of human carcinogens, such as 1, 3-butadiene, benzene, and isoprene were also observed. The results demonstrate that air quality is severely degraded during biomass burning episodes. Therefore, further research is required to understand the effects of biomass burning events on the residents' acute and chronic health conditions.

Translators’ manipulation of texts: the case of children’s books on gender equality

ABSTRACT This research applied the analytical method proposed by Kaniklidou and House to examine power manipulation in existing translations of children’s books that include gender equality issues in Taiwan. Fifty-one translations of gender-related picture books were analysed, and 411 instances of power manipulation phenomena were annotated. The study identified content explicitation and simplification as the most frequently used translation strategies, followed by cultural filtering, manipulation of ideology, sentimentalisation, infantilisation, and genre specificity. These categories overlapped and were closely related; instances of explicitation, cultural filtering, and ideological manipulation could occur in the same passage. The results of this study contribute to providing an objective basis for the development of gender equality education, and also serve as a reference for the translation industry, the government, and academia in enhancing or adjusting translation strategies, editing high-quality children’s books, strengthening the foundation of children’s language development, and promoting innovation and multi-faceted discussion.

CHINA’S NUCLEAR POLICY: A REALISTIC ASSESSMENT

This research paper focuses on the development, management, and execution of nuclear policies and strategies in China. Chinese nuclear policy has always been a center of discussion for military officials and researchers worldwide. Considering its internal and external security situation and strategic perceptions, China has made some crucial adjustments in its nuclear deterrent to cope with future threats and maintain the diminutive stature among nuclear powers. The issue of Taiwan and ballistic missile defense systems(BMDs) of India and USA may raise China’s critical thinking in the coming future for which it must change its policy of No First Use (NFU) and must shift its nuclear intentions from narrow to limited nuclear deterrent posture. Due to changed cultural perspectives, China has its specific nuclear strategy that involves the minimum utility of nuclear weapons. Factors involved in the evolution of Chinese nuclear strategy are in line with technological modernization. However, China is not willing to leave adherence from its NFU policy. China possesses a limited capacity of nuclear experts, a comparatively lesser quantity of nuclear installations, and a relatively lower number of nuclear weapons because it mainly focuses on the “lean and effective” quality of its strategic nuclear approach. Keywords: Nuclear policy, strategic perceptions, China, security environment.

Dynamic Relationship between Air Pollution and Economic Growth in Taiwan Deduced from Mathematical Models

AbstractAir pollution resulting from the rapid development of industries has become a serious environmental issue in Taiwan, although the blooming industrial activities have resulted in rapid economic growth. The consequences of rapid economic growth are reflected in air pollution. A statistical model and grey relational grade system are used to quantify the distribution of various air pollutants such as particulate matter 10, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and ozone from 2008 to 2017. It is found that the gross domestic product (GDP) and air pollution display a positive correlation, whereby the p‐value is statistically significant at 5% confidence interval and the correlation coefficients between GDP and air pollution are positive at 0.056 and 6.59, respectively. Moreover, the relationship between air pollution and GDP displays similar trend for both seasonal and annual data. The empirical results of this study are robust during the northeast monsoon season because the values are found to be slightly higher in such season. Therefore, it can be suggested that the GDP growth in Taiwan is significantly related to air pollution and the only optimal mechanism to avoid drastic climate change is to implement a balance between GDP growth and air pollution control.

Anthropometric Characteristics in Taiwanese Adults: Age and Gender Differences.

Population aging is creating critical issues in Taiwan, and adults are being forced to maintain productivity at work; in other words, they need to work longer. Therefore, their fitness and health warrant immediate attention. Although the association between health and anthropometric characteristics has been reported, few profiles on Taiwanese adults can be found. The purpose of this study was to provide a suitable reference on the anthropometric data of Taiwanese adults. We recruited 60,056 anthropometric measurements from a representative database. Significant differences were found in every measurement for each gender and age group. Statistically, our results indicated anthropometric differences in different ages. However, CVs showed that the dispersions are minor. This study presents a sufficient profile on Taiwanese adults from a representative database to practitioners and other potential users.

China’s Foreign Policy towards Eurasia Economic Integration

During the period from 2005 to 2015 under the rule of Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping, China has achieved enormous success not only in the field of economy but also in the political and diplomatic areas. With the Silk Road Economic Belt’s initiative launched by the government of Xi in 2013, China was seeking to find alternatives for different affairs such as the South China Sea, the nuclear issue of North Korea, and Taiwan issues. The emergency of the “Strategic Breakthrough” whose aim is to stabilize the surrounding atmosphere makes it a pressing task for the Chinese diplomacy focused on Eurasia to overhaul the international order.

The ecological waterfront design for Bufo bankorensis by using artificial neural network methods

Over the last three decades, the threat to amphibian animals has become more and more serious. Especially, the loss of natural habitats caused by changes to the way land is used by human beings. This issue has hit amphibians extraordinarily hard. Moreover, it is known that amphibians are particularly vulnerable to human activities because they rely on both terrestrial and aquatic habitats for survival. Due to increased development in many areas, concrete structures are often built along water bodies in order to increase the safety of structures. The development of solid banks along streams related with human improvement has become a major issue in Taiwan. Most ecosystems used by amphibians are lakes, ponds, rivers and stream banks. However, there is no related design solution to accommodate the needs of those amphibians. The need to develop the relevant design specification considering protecting the amphibian is very urgent. The objectives of this study were to investigate (1) the relationships between the physical characteristics and climbing ability of toads, (2) whether statistics analysis can be can be utilized to improve the understandings of the actual attributes of amphibian, (3) whether Artificial Neural Network can be used to simulate the climbing ability of toad. The experimental and numerical results showed that there is a strong positive correlation between physical characteristics and climbing ability of toads.

Diplomacy vs. Economics: Examining the Roots of Decline in Sino-U.S. Trade in 1975

Abstract In 1975, the explosive growth of Sino-U.S. trade that only had resumed after 1971 ended with a severe decline from $920 million a year to just $461 million. The cause of the collapse was the unilateral decision of the People’s Republic of China (prc) to cancel several orders from late 1974 to early 1975. Scholars have advanced three reasons for the prc’s action, blaming to trade disputes, Beijing’s desire to punish the Americans for slow progress on the Taiwan issue, and Chinese trade officials preventing radicals from labeled them “compradors.” Each explanation, however, overstates the importance of high-level politics and ignores mid-level exchanges, as trade delegations shuttled back and forth across the Pacific in 1975. The article demonstrates that the real obstacle to trade in 1975 was China’s limited ability to purchase American grain in the same quantities as in the last four years, along with indications of a good future harvest in China emerging at the end of 1974. Economic factors therefore better explain the decline in prc-U.S. trade, providing an example of how in the last years of the Cultural Revolution, Beijing’s economic policy was more pragmatic than one would expect.

Contours of China‐Pakistan strategic cooperation: Implications for India and its counter‐strategies

Strategic interdependence between China and Pakistan increased in the post‐9/11 period due to various regional and international developments. The strategic partnership between the two states which was evolved in 1960s due to Indian factor has now been transformed especially in the post‐Cold period where new factors have been added in their relationship. Some of the factors identified in this study include enhancement of the strategic value of these states for each other especially closer collaboration in the defense and security, Cooperation in regional connectivity, cooperation in the regional organizations, mutual consensus on core political issues of Kashmir and Taiwan and China's support to Pakistan stance on the India's membership of Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG). China‐Pakistan strategic cooperation has raised concerns in India which on its part is devising counter‐strategies. Although, the study is qualitative and based on content analysis, but at the same time it is empirical as it also explains the correlations between independent and dependent variable i.e China‐Pakistan strategic cooperation versus India's counter‐strategies. In this backdrop, the main argument of the study is that the strategic partnership between China and Pakistan is not just India centric but in the post‐Cold War period several other factors have been added and one of the prominent factor is the construction of CPEC. The study moreover finds out that these new developments in China‐Pakistan strategic partnership have implications for India due to India's unresolved border issues with both Pakistan and China. The study is significant in terms of its relevance to policy makers, politicians, academia, and think tanks.

The Returnee as an Outsider: Reunion and Division in Wang Quan’an’s Apart Together (團圓, tuan yuan)

Abstract Mainland Chinese director Wang Quan’an’s Apart Together, which won the Silver Bear Award for Best Screenplay in 2010, tackles the issue of cross-Strait relations by telling the story of Kuomintang veteran Liu Yansheng’s return to mainland China after nearly 40 years of separation from his wife and son. Shanghainese is the main language of the film, a dialect that is used to suggest a local attitude towards the national issue. While earlier Chinese films on similar themes often emphasise the cultural and emotional ties between Taiwan and China, in Wang’s film Liu is characterised as an unwelcome Taiwanese guest, an intruder in his wife’s Chinese family. This essay argues that Wang’s Apart Together contests the People’s Republic of China’s official discourse of cross-Strait reunification by demonstrating the cultural and identity divisions between the Taiwanese character and his Chinese family. Wang provides an alternative perspective on the ‘Taiwan issue’, showing that ordinary people’s experience of cross-Strait reunion might be painful and problematic.

WHO, COVID-19, and Taiwan as the Ghost Island

ABSTRACT The Taiwan issue continually haunts WHO. However, before addressing Taiwan's inclusion into WHO, we first describe how the era in which WHO was founded, and WHO's resulting constitutional mandate, have focused the Organisation's work on infectious disease eradication. Narrowing in on pandemic management – one aspect of infectious disease eradication – we describe what WHO can offer. These two sections allude to what Taiwan is excluded from. Using Taiwan's COVID-19 experience as a case study, Taiwan's successful management suggests that it is excluded from little, and thus marginally benefits in terms of public health. Yet, there are beneficial political gains in its call for inclusion. Taiwan's recent leveraging and amplification of its COVID-19 success story is thus an extension of its health diplomacy. Extending the call for inclusion online captures a novel digitised health diplomacy effort from Taiwan. The present study computationally analyses press-release and Twitter data to understand how Taiwanese government engages in these channels to frame and respond to the Taiwan/WHO issue. We find that Taiwan brands and propagates a ‘Taiwan Model’ through hashtags that revolve around coordination and solidarity as opposed to exclusion, indirectly criticising WHO. The piece concludes by discussing the foundational weaknesses in WHO's pandemic management effort in contrast to Taiwan's successful effort despite exclusion. Although Taiwan's inclusion to WHO is improbable due to larger geopolitical factors, inclusion is not a zero-sum game, with potential bi-directional benefits and lessons that can fortify domestic health capacities in preparation for the next pandemic.