ABSTRACT
Beijing is stuck. One of the principal components of the CCP’s legitimacy, which both stems from and fuels Chinese nationalism, is the leadership’s emphasis on the need to end the so-called century of humiliation at foreign hands, of which the continued existence of Taiwan as a separate entity serves as a painful reminder. As Sandby-Thomas observes, “[T]he issue of Taiwan’s sovereignty is central to the CCP’s nationalist credentials.” “Reunification” is therefore one of Beijing’s core interests, the formulation of which, of course, has always rested in the hands of the CCP. Whoever argues otherwise would immediately be accused of “splittism,” one of the three evils as defined by the Chinese leadership, and face severe punishment, especially under the new national security laws adopted in July 2015.
