China-Taiwan relations back in the spotlight

The wild scenes in and around Taiwan’s parliament buildings over the weekend are symptoms of a growing unease in the island state over the government’s increasingly cosy relations with mainland China.

Protests came to a head over the proposed ratification of a trade deal with Beijing which the ruling Kuomintang Party says will boost the economy, create jobs and preserve Taiwan’s edge in the global marketplace.

Opponents claim the agreement will actually damage the country’s economy and leave it vulnerable to pressure from the mainland, concerns that were summed up by one of the protesters, Marc Ma, who said the negotiations for the deal should have been handled more carefully.“With China you never know about these things. You say this is a good deal, but good for whom?” Ma asked.

While still insisting the deal must go through, President Ma Ying-jeou has adopted a more conciliatory tone, promising the legislation putting it into effect will be examined line-by-line in Parliament and agreeing to meet representatives of the protesters.       

The concerns about closer links with China are rooted deep in history. When the communists took over and declared the People’s Republic of China in 1947, the defeated nationalist forces under Chiang Kai-shek retreated to Taiwan. For years during the height of the Cold War the West continued to support Chiang’s Kuomintang administration as the legitimate government of all China, finally bowing to reality in the 1970s when most countries switched their recognition to Beijing.

With Chiang dead and the nation isolated, Taiwan changed tack, gradually moving from a one-party state under martial law to liberal democracy. Its first fully-democratic presidential election was held in 1996 and in 2000 the Kuomintang candidate was defeated by the new Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

Eight years later, Ma led the Kuomintang back into office. Now well into his second term he has stirred up a hornets’ nest with his determination to ratify the controversial trade treaty.

At first sight it seems bizarre that the leader of a party that bitterly opposed the People’s Republic for many years should now be so bent on seeking closer ties. However, the Kuomintang has always believed in eventual reunification once the mainland throws off its communist shackles, while the more militant DPP has independence as its ultimate aim. 

An independent Taiwan is anathema to Beijing, which sees the island as a renegade province temporarily outside its control, and has never abandoned the military option to recover it. However, several polls have shown that at best most Taiwanese have little interest in reunification and regard themselves as Taiwanese first and Chinese second.

In recent times the DPP has toned down its rhetoric on independence, believing fears of a confrontation with China cost it the presidential election in 2012. However, the current protests have propelled relations with Beijing to the forefront of Taiwanese politics once again.