The Taiwan Question in China-U.S. Relations

Abstract: The Taiwan issue has been regarded as the most sensitive question between China and the Unites States (U.S.). Although China-U.S. relations have made much progress, the Taiwan question has arrested the concerns of Chinese and American decision-makers for many years. Why is the Taiwan issue so important for the relationship between China and the U.S.? How is the future trend of development of China-U.S.-Taiwan? The different views of the governments in Washington and Beijing on the Taiwan issue, what result could it lead to? This study intends to answer these questions. To analyze this issue, I empirically examine the cases of Nixon’s visit to China in 1972 and Lee Teng-hui’s visit to the United States in 1995. By combining security complextheory and neorealism and neoliberal institutionalism I find that the Taiwan issue influenced the relationship between China and the U.S., and whether the Taiwan issue is settled properly will affect the normal development of China-U.S. relations directly.