Zeitschrift für Zivil- und Rechtswissenschaften

Abstrakt

Structures and Essence of Current Cross-Strait Relations

Tang Shaocheng

This article examines the current development of cross-strait relations between Taiwan and China through the two-level games mode. The role of the U.S. and the European Union, and also the South China Sea and East China Sea disputes are important external factors to explore in cross-strait relations. In addition, the structures of the bilateral relations, both Beijing’s and Taipei’s policies and tactics toward the other side and especially the CPC’s 18th Party Congress Report concerning Beijing’s Taiwan policy are the most significant internal factors of cross-strait relations. According to the Report, Beijing intends to reach a kind of interim agreement with Taipei before unification. But the author argues that under the current circumstances, it will not be easy for Beijing to reach its goal of the above mentioned political institutionalization of cross-strait relations in the near future.