ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to compare nationalism and democratization in Taiwan and China, and, in particular seeks to develop an understanding of the rise of Taiwanese nationalism and its impact on democratization; as well as the impact democratization has on the politics associated with national identity question. It examines the effects of democratization and nationalism identifying two crucial structural factors which continue to contribute to the outcome in managing the national identity conflicts across the Taiwan Strait. The concept of the 'New Taiwanese', advocated by President Lee in December 1998, indicates that Taiwanese nationalism has already developed into a kind of neo-state nationalism. Pan-Chinese nationalism in China shares the basic assumption of the old official nationalism, under the Chiangs, that reunification is an essential element for a modern notion of the Chinese nation-state. The chapter concludes with hypotheses concerning the impact of Chinese democratization on the resolution of the Taiwan question.
