ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at China’s security in relation to the Taiwan issue. From the Chinese perspective, Taiwan does not represent a direct military threat but it poses a political challenge insofar as it is seen as seeking independence (taidu). More importantly, US involvement in the Taiwan issue constitutes an obstacle to China reincorporating Taiwan under its rule; for Beijing, the US commitment to Taiwan has indirectly encouraged the Taiwan independence movement. With the US acting unilaterally in international politics today, questions on whether Washington can now be more accommodating to Taiwan’s interests will arise. Moreover, it can be argued that the US will offer Taiwan more moral support as part of its objective to export liberal democracy to the rest of the world. We first turn to China’s military security and the US’s commitment to Taiwan.
