The ruling DPP Government in Taiwan is likely to further build on the gains made in domestic politics and in ‘pragmatic diplomacy’ internationally, occasioned by COVID-19, without indulging in any geopolitical exuberance.
An investigation into the prospects for including political talks in the cross-strait dialogue enables a better assessment of cross-strait relations. China’s push for political talks and Taiwan’s resistance to them imply that their political positions on the fundamental issues of sovereignty and ‘living space’ for Taiwan remain unchanged. Considering Taiwan’s complex domestic political scenario, which is largely against unification with Mainland China, the likelihood of Taiwan agreeing to political talks for unification is remote.
Celebrations of the 1911 Revolution show that history is subject to interpretations, most often in the ways in which it suits contemporary political objectives.
On December 31, 2008, the President of China, Hu Jintao, gave an important speech
on the eve of the 30th anniversary of “A letter to the Taiwan compatriots” dated
January 1, 1979, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
While the economies of China and Taiwan are getting integrated and there has been increasing contact between the people across the strait, the two sides are maintaining a studied silence on unification.
