Inseparable Separation: The Making Of China's Taiwan Policy

Despite the significance of the Taiwan issue to US-China relations as well as regional stability in the Asia-Pacific, one could hardly find a comprehensive and thorough study of China's Taiwan policy. This book aims to make up for the deficit by providing a systematic and in-depth analysis of the evolution of China's Taiwan policy over the past six decades, against the backdrop of a three-player game involving Beijing, Washington and Taipei. The intention is to show that despite Beijing's uncompromising adherence to the One-China principle, China's leaders have maintained remarkable flexibility in interpreting and implementing it. Moreover, while domestic factors (e.g., nationalistic sentiment, political stability, and economic development) do affect Beijing's calculus, China's Taiwan policy invariably accords with the ups and downs in its international environment, especially the complexities of the US-China relations.

Table of Contents:
The Origins of China's Taiwan Policy: Managing an Internal Chinese IssueA" with US Involvement; From the Bombardment of Jinmen to the Shanghai Communique: Establishment of the One-China Strategic Framework; The Beginning of the Thaw: From the Abortive CCP-KMT Rapprochement to the 1992 Consensus; The Coming and Passing of the Storm: Beijing Readjusts Its Approach; From the Two States TheoryA" to One State on Each SideA": Beijing Seeks Common Ground with Washington; The Hu Jintao Period: The Inception of De Facto Co-Management of the Taiwan Issue; Hu Jintao's New Strategy: Developing a Framework for Reunification with a Pro-Status-Quo Approach.

Review :
First, it is a well-documented and rather comprehensive chronology of the triangular relationship between Beijing, Washington and Taipei since 1949. Second, it puts into historical perspective several PRC policy concepts that were forged as early as the mid-1950s: 'peaceful liberation', 'peaceful reunification'. -- The China Journal "The China Journal" The great achievement of the two authors of this long, dense, and sophisticated study is to have made this complex and often volatile situation - this 'inseparable separation' - clear and comprehensible to a wide set of audiences. -- The Journal of Asian Studies "The Journal of Asian Studies" The book provides a crystal-clear picture of one of the great intra-national and international dramas of the past sixty years - a drama not yet in its final act that centers on the attempt of two different Chinas to again become one. -- The Journal of Asian Studies "The Journal of Asian Studies"