ABSTRACT
In direct contrast to the burgeoning unofficial interaction of the past two decades, military, economic and international rivalries have continued to dominate Taiwan’s formal relationship with mainland China. As a consequence, and has been as extensively debated in scholarly literature, national security considerations remain at the foundation of Taiwan’s policy towards both China and cross-Strait relations. This chapter demonstrates how nationalism and discussions of national identity have also had a major role to play in the leadership’s framing of policy debates, as well as in the regulation and governance of engagement with the mainland. Since the inception of socio-economic exchanges in late 1987, Taiwan’s policy-makers have voiced concerns regarding the implications and unforeseen impact that intensive association with the mainland might hold for domestic social, cultural, economic and political systems.
