Explainer: Envisioning Taiwan after cross-Strait reunification
People's Daily Online
(Xinhua) 13:11, October 29, 2025
BEIJING, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- After the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are reunited, people in Taiwan will enjoy better social welfare, broader development prospects, greater security and dignity, and a more confident presence in the world, according to an article published on Monday.
This article was one of the three articles under the byline of "Zhongtaiwen," which Xinhua News Agency was entrusted to publish from Sunday to Tuesday.
"Our goal is not only an institutional reunification but also unity between hearts of people across the Strait," the article noted.
Under peaceful reunification arrangements, when the nation's sovereignty, security and development interests are secured, Taiwan's existing social system and way of life will be respected, and the island administered by patriots will enjoy a high degree of autonomy, the article said.
Personal property, religious beliefs and the legal rights and interests of local people will be fully protected in Taiwan, while their connections to the island's traditions and heritage will be valued, it added.
ECONOMIC PROSPECT
Upon reunification, Taiwan will be enabled to overcome economic bottlenecks and further share national development dividends. Deeper cooperation across the Strait will help its economy achieve sustainable and faster growth, with long-standing structural issues addressed, the article explained.
Agriculture, tourism and other traditional industries in Taiwan will gain new momentum through access to visitors from and consumer markets on the mainland. A common market will allow Taiwan products to enter the mainland with zero tariffs, while companies in Taiwan will be able to rely on strong capital, a large market and complete industrial supply chains on the mainland, and opportunities from Belt and Road cooperation to seek greater development. Also, Taiwan's high-tech sectors such as integrated circuit, precision machinery and biotechnology will gain from deeper industrial collaboration with their peers on the mainland and expand their business globally.
PEOPLE'S WELLBEING
"We are able to deliver a better life to 1.4 billion people and are surely capable of creating a better future together with people in Taiwan," the article said.
After reunification, public finances in Taiwan can be directed entirely toward improving people's lives and the island will no longer have to suffer political infighting triggered by "Taiwan independence" secessionists.
Instead of spending lavishly on the so-called defense budget and arms deals as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities have done, public spending on healthcare, education and support for the elderly would increase significantly. Infrastructure across Taiwan Island, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu will be upgraded -- including highways, railways and airports. Resources in education, healthcare and social security can be shared across the Strait after reunification, thereby addressing long-standing livelihood challenges.
Goods will flow freely across the Strait, lowering consumer prices, while employment and business opportunities would become even more accessible for the residents of Taiwan.
INTERNATIONAL PRESENCE
Although the two sides of the Strait have been in a state of protracted political confrontation for decades, people on both sides share the same cultural heritage, ancestry and identity, according to the article.
After reunification, Taiwan residents will be able to participate more widely in international affairs and feel the confidence and pride that comes with the citizenship of a major country. With approval from the central government, foreign countries could set up consulates and other official or semi-official institutions in Taiwan, and international organizations will have offices in Taiwan. In addition, international agreements could be applied in Taiwan and international events held there.
PEACE AND SECURITY
Notably, cross-Strait relations enjoyed a stage of peaceful development between 2008 and 2016, as the two sides agreed on a common political foundation of upholding the one-China principle and opposing "Taiwan independence." Improved relations brought tangible benefits to the people on both sides, especially those in Taiwan.
However, the DPP authorities, which have stubbornly pursued a secessionist agenda, have repeatedly made provocations with support from external forces -- pushing Taiwan to a perilous situation.
After reunification, risks of war, caused by "Taiwan independence" secessionists, will be removed and external interference will be prevented, allowing for peace and stability in the region to be secured. People across the Strait will then live and work in a calm environment and share a prosperous future.
HISTORY AS GUIDE
Another article published on Sunday reviewed the historical origins of the Taiwan question, which is a leftover of China's civil war in the 1940s and an internal matter of one country and one nation. It arose when China was weak and in turmoil and will be resolved once the country is strong and rejuvenated.
Legal documents, including the 1943 Cairo Declaration, the 1945 Potsdam Proclamation and the Instrument of Surrender signed by Japan in September 1945 -- all affirmed China's sovereignty over Taiwan, the article pointed out.
On Oct. 25, 1945, the Chinese government announced that it was resuming the exercise of sovereignty over Taiwan. The ceremony to accept Japan's surrender in the Taiwan Province of the China war theater of the Allied powers was held in Taipei. From that point on, China had recovered Taiwan de jure and de facto.
In 1946, a civil war broke out in China. After their defeat in 1949, remnants of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) fled to Taiwan and entrenched themselves there. Across the Strait, on Oct. 1, 1949, the People's Republic of China (PRC) was founded.
During the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953), also known as the Korean War, the United States sent troops to the Taiwan Strait to obstruct the liberation of Taiwan and support the KMT, thus creating the Taiwan question that remains unresolved to this day.
"Despite protracted political confrontation across the Strait, China's sovereignty and territory have never been divided, and Taiwan's status as part of China has never changed," the article read.
In 1971, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758 by an overwhelming majority, clarifying that the PRC government is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. This resolution, from the perspective of international law, completely eliminated possibilities of "two Chinas" or "Taiwan independence."
COMMITMENT TO REUNIFICATION
In the third article released on Tuesday, it was emphasized that resolving the Taiwan question and realizing China's complete reunification is an essential part of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
"Reunification is not a matter of choice, but an inevitability," it pointed out.
Developments in cross-Strait relations over the 70-plus years, especially the wide-ranging policies and measures the mainland issued to benefit Taiwan compatriots, have resonated with the aspirations of the majority of people in Taiwan -- shaping mainstream public opinion that favors peace, development, exchanges and cooperation, it added.
In the process of achieving complete reunification of the Chinese nation, "Taiwan independence" separatists remain a small countercurrent, it noted, adding that these separatists willingly serve as tools for the United States and other Western countries in their quest to contain China, thereby harming the common interests of people on both sides of the Strait.
"The key factor determining the direction of cross-Strait relations is the development and progress of the mainland," the article stated.
As the mainland's development strengths keep translating into concrete capacity and momentum for national reunification, they are destined to further fuel cross-Strait exchanges and integration. This growing connectivity will deepen the shared interests and emotional bond between people across the Strait, strengthen a common sense of national and cultural identity, and ultimately guide cross-Strait relations toward the goal of reunification.
"Given the shifting cross-Strait balance of strength and global dynamics, situation will only become increasingly favorable for the just cause of supporting reunification," it wrote. "Both sides can sit down and negotiate a reasonable 'one country, two systems' solution for Taiwan."
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
