Taiwan

Diplomatic Attempts Being Made to Improve Relations Between Taiwan and China

On November 6th, a Chinese envoy met with Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou after trade and transportation negotiations were finalized, specifically agreements concerning food safety, and direct shipping, according to a Chinese newspaper in Beijing. The meeting took place in Taipei. It has been nearly 60 years since there has been a meeting like this, as China has repeatedly threatened Taiwan that it will successfully bring the province back into Communism. Not surprisingly, there were protestors present at the meeting, which only lasted approximately five minutes. These pro-Taiwan sovereignty protestors are against close ties with China. Both leaders hope for more similar meetings in the future.

While there are liberal aspects in this story, the issue here is clearly relevant to the identity perspective for various reasons. First, it is noted in the IHT article that China’s envoy refused to address Taiwan’s leader “president", as this would have signified their acceptance of Taiwan’s status. This meeting was merely an effort to project an image and the idea and Chinese and Taiwanese relations are warming. Also, the identity perspective is concerned with why states act as they do. In this situation, it is clear that China and Taiwan held this short meeting in an effort to promote economic progress and stability. In today’s world, plagued with volatility and uncertainty, it is comforting to see this image; if Taiwan and China can even just pretend to be friendly, there’s no reason other states cannot do so as well. It will be interesting to see how their relations play out in the future.

Identity

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-11/06/content_7180625.htm

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/11/06/asia/taiwan.php

November 6, 2008 at 5:46 pm