1. Turning Taiwanese.
- Subjects
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TAIWANESE people , *NATIONAL character , *NATIONALISM , *SELF-perception , *POLITICIANS , *CHINESE people , *INTERNATIONAL relations , *WAR , *INTERNATIONAL economic integration , *INTERNATIONAL economic relations ,TAIWANESE politics & government, 2000- ,CHINESE politics & government, 2002- - Abstract
The article discusses how the Taiwanese are developing a distinct identity. For all its moorings in the culture of mainland China, Taiwan's version is now being perceived as something very distinct. Surveys conducted by Taiwan's National Chengchi University show a remarkable shift in Taiwanese self-perception over the past 12 years. The number of those identifying themselves as Taiwanese has risen, whereas those who see themselves purely as Chinese have dropped. This alarms the government in Beijing. It is true that President Chen Shui-ban is fostering Taiwaneseness, but he is doing it because it is popular. Now talk of "one China", with Taiwan as one of its components, has become dangerous for Taiwanese politicians. Galling though it is for China, Chen's emphasis on Taiwan's identity has helped win him votes. China knows that threats of war do not reinforce Taiwan's identification with the mainland. Some Beijing officials still hope that economic interaction with Taiwan will make people on the island feel more Chinese again, but many now have doubts.
- Published
- 2005