ABSTRACT
In a regional environment marked by the end of the Cold War, the expansion of democratic regimes, and growing diplomatic and eco nomic cooperation among states, the Taiwan-China military con frontation arguably poses one of the very few tangible threats to regional stability and peace remaining in East Asia. 1 In fact, the possibility of military conflict across the Taiwan Strait has become an urgent concern in some quarters in recent years, largely as a result of rapid, and in many ways revolutionary, domestic changes occurring on both sides of the Strait. Economic reform in China has led to the highest growth rates in the world, greater Chinese self-confidence in the international arena and increased efforts at military modernization in areas that potentially threaten Taiwan's security. Equally significant, the notion of correcting past historical humiliations and defending or asserting Chinese claims over nearby territories is increasingly creeping into Chinese leadership pronouncements, causing greater anxieties in many Asian capitals, including Taipei.
