The Dynamics of the “One-China Policy” and the Status Quo: Perspectives from Taiwan

The United States has maintained the the One-China Policy for nearly four decades, and it has been viewed as a fundamental part of East Asian regional stability. However, President Trump has created uncertainties regarding some long-lasting practices and may alter the U.S. One-China policy. Before analyzing the implications of the possible changes to the One-China Policy, it will be useful to discuss the dynamics of the status quo over the past few decades.

 

This event offers viewpoints from young Taiwanese scholars and social activists, illustrating the changing national identity and public perception of the U.S.-China-Taiwan relationship. In particular, the speakers will use survey data and existing literature, in addition to anecdotal evidence to explain (1) how Taiwanese see themselves politically and culturally, as Taiwanese, Chinese (zhongguoren), or “huaren”, (2) what “One-China” means to the Taiwanese, and how differing views of the concept have contributed to misunderstandings between China and the U.S.

 

Fang-Yu Chen is a PhD candidate in political science at Michigan State University and a visiting scholar at the Sigur Center for Asian Studies. His dissertation titled “Ruling Party Institutionalization in East Asian Authoritarian Regimes” compares the ruling parties of former dictators in Taiwan, Korea, Indonesia, and the Philippines. His research interests include democratization, income inequality, nationalism, and political behavior. After Taiwan’s Sunflower Student Movement in 2014, Fang-Yu and several colleagues co-founded a blog, “Who Governs Taiwan” (http://whogovernstw.org), which aims to be the Mandarin version of the Monkey Cage.

 

Jason Kuo is Postdoctroal Research Fellow at Georgetown University’s Mortara Center for International Studies. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in 2016. His fields of study include international relations, comparative politics and research methods. His dissertation broadly examines why and how border-crossing law enforcement has emerged as an alternate model for global governance of domestic public policy problems under international economic integration. Jason is also developing a comparative research program on causes and consequences of foreign economic policy attitudes of citizens and leaders as individuals under democracies and autocracies. He has employed a variety of social science methods to conduct his research thus far.