Cross-Strait Peace Agreement: Diminishing Likelihood

In spite of the fact that substantial progress has been made in the improvement of relations between China and Taiwan, 1 In this article, the term “China” is used to refer to the People's Republic of China, which is also officially referred to as “the Chinese mainland” by the government in Taiwan, as distinguished from the Republic of China on Taiwan. “China,” “the People's Republic of China,” and “the Chinese mainland” will be used interchangeably. there have been no talks on sensitive political issues. Beijing's proposal for a cross-strait peace agreement is put on hold. Disagreement over the sovereignty of one China and the political reality in Taiwan have conspired to create an apparent impasse and contributed to an indefinite delay of the negotiations. At the moment, a large section of Taiwanese people do not seem to want this peace agreement. The ruling Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) cannot afford to start negotiations without a strong domestic consensus. This article examines the political situation in Taiwan, analyzes the main obstacles to reaching a cross-strait peace agreement, and explores possible solutions.