Taiwan-U.S. Relations: Recent Developments and Their Policy Implications

Abstract

U.S.-Taiwan relations have undergone important changes, sparked in part by the increasing complexity of Taiwan s democratic political environment and the continued insistence of Beijing that the separately ruled Taiwan is a part of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou, elected on March 22, 2008, in a surprisingly broad electoral victory, has moved quickly to repair Taiwan's relations with the PRC. Since President Ma assumed office on May 20, 2008, Taiwan-PRC talks have resumed for the first time since 1998. The first set of talks resulted in establishment of regular direct weekend charter flights. Taiwan also has made other concessions, such as lifting long-standing caps on Taiwan investment in the PRC and giving a lower profile to Taiwan s bids for participation in U.N. specialized agencies. Opponents of the government s plans have said that President Ma's moves to improve cross-strait relations have been too rapid, too unilateral, and have placed Taiwan's economic security in jeopardy. President Ma also has sought to address any annoyances in Taiwan-U.S. relations arising from the former Chen Administration. Throughout his tenure from 2000-2008, President Chen Shui-bian, a member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), pursued the provocative position that Taiwan already is an independent, sovereign country. This position was highly objectionable to Beijing and problematic for many aspects of U.S. policy, which is based on vague one-China policy formulations. Term-limited, Chen was required to step down in May 2008. Since then he has been fighting a growing financial scandal that erupted during his presidency involving allegations of money-laundering and corruption by his administration and members of his family. In addition to its U.N. bid, the Taiwan government also is seeking to raise its international profile in other ways involving the United States.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 03, 2008
Accession Number
ADA488363

Entities

People

  • Kerry Dumbaugh

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Commerce
  • Congress
  • Department Of State
  • Economic Security
  • Foreign Relations
  • Governments
  • Guided Missiles
  • Intellectual Property
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • International Trade
  • Law
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Political Systems
  • United States

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Asian Economic Studies
  • International Relations and Conflict Resolution