Mainland China on a Tightrope: Lessons for Its Taiwan Reunification Strategies in the Context of the Latest Russian Attack on Ukraine

Abstract

This study looks into the reunification strategies of mainland China towards Taiwan, which it considers a renegade province, in the context of the latest Russian attack on Ukraine that started on February 24, 2022. Mainland China attaches great importance to reuniting with Taiwan, and it is ready to use force to realize this objective, if necessary. Its reunification strategies are anchored on irredentist narratives and nationalist underpinnings but are tamed by international considerations. Therefore, China’s international relations with countries in the Asia-Pacific region are given focus, regardless of the state of relations of these countries with Taiwan. This is because China’s relations with these countries also serve as a barometer that influences its behavior, vis-à-vis its reunification strategies towards Taiwan. Inspired by conspiracy theory which fuels the popular belief that China will be more aggressive in dealing with Taiwan on reunification, brought to the fore by Russia’s latest attack on Ukraine, this study found out the opposite. Such latest attack gave China compelling reasons to be more circumspect in dealing with Taiwan on matters of reunification.

Keywords

• reunification strategies
• mainland china
• taiwan
• renegade province
• russia’s attack on ukraine