Will Economic Integration Between Mainland China and Taiwan Lead to a Congenial Political Culture?

Abstract

Although economically highly interdependent, Taiwan and mainland China are nevertheless antagonistic in the political arena. This is because two very different sub-political cultures have germinated in the respective lands. For Taiwan, a new cultural identity has emerged, featuring an emphasis on individualism, an embrace of local values, and a growing identification of Taiwan as a political community. This mind-set differs from the collective-minded Chinese way of thinking prevalent on the mainland in which neo-collectivism and nationalism have taken a center seat. The identity crisis that the two have suffered has made their policies less amenable toward each other.