Synopses & Reviews
China's Dilemma is the first major study of the web of international relations between the US, China, and Taiwan. China has long hesitated integration with its island neighbor, preferring instead to focus on internal modernization and reform. Taiwan, on the other hand, has forced the issue, endlessly reworking and restating its policy towards China. The US has, for Taiwan, been used as a bargaining chip in its dealings with China, knowing how important a good relationship between the two super-states is to China. Sheng Lijun's study examines how the status of Taiwan has been one of the most complex and politically loaded issues facing China since the Cold War.
Synopsis
The status of Taiwan has been one of the most complex and politically-loaded issues facing China since the end of the Cold War. The issues of Taiwan-Chinese relations, proposed integration, mode of integration, even viability of integration have been at the forefront of Chinese foreign relations. This study enquires how this most important of international relations issues has developed, and how the web of US-Chinese-Taiwanese relations might disentangle itself.
About the Author
Sheng Lijun is a Fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore.
Table of Contents
Part I: A Background * A Historical Review * Lee's US Visit and China's Response *
Part II: China vs. the United States over Taiwan * US-China Policy: Facing a Rising China * China's US Policy: To Avoid a Head-On Collision *
Part III: Taiwan vs. China * On a Collision Course * Bark without Bite * Taiwan after the Face Off * China after the Face Off *
Part IV: Conclusion * Stalemate and Dilemma * The Splash of the Two-States Theory