The Political Formation of Taiwanese Nationalism
Chia-lung Lin
Central argument: Taiwanese national identity is socially and politically constructed and
subject to changes, especially when under the intensive mobilization of political elites at times
of regime transition.
The Taiwanese Background:
 Taiwan is ethically highly divided, constantly under foreign threat → in transition to
democracy, and in strengthening democracy, Taiwan faces challenges related to its national
identity
 The progress of democratization is connected to: the awakening of long-suppressed
Taiwanese consciousness; the society’s search for international recognition; the conflict
between Taiwanese and Chinese nationalists
Nationalism-Related Concepts:

Differentiation between Nationalism and Nationhood:
o Nationalism: political principle that involves the building of a sovereign
nation-state; combines nationhood and statehood
o Nationhood: means national identity; a sense shared among people believing to
belong to the same nation; does not essentially involve the formation of a
sovereign state
o Statehood: a sovereign state with people who can be of different ethnic/
national origins
 Nationalist movements can be in form of:
o expansionism: try to incorporate their population into other states
o separatism: struggle to control the destiny of their nation, for independence
o irredentism: minority national group/s seek unity with group members in other
states
 in Taiwan: one separatist group (seeking independence); one irredentist group (seeking
reunification with China)
 Percentage of people supporting Taiwanese independence rose from 6% in 1989 to
23% in 1999; percentage of people supporting reunification with China decreased from 55%
in 1989 to 16% in 1999
 Support for keeping the current form of government: increased from 18% in 1989 to
49% in 1996
 Between 1989 and 1996: number of those who identify with Taiwan has increased by
20%; number of those who identify with China has decreased by 31%; in 1996, a slight
majority (52%) identifies with both, Taiwan and China
 About 20% of the elite identified with Taiwan and supported Taiwanese independence
in 1996
 Ethnicity and attitude towards nation-state correlate
Taiwanese Identity versus Chinese Identity:
 National identity and terms like ‘Chinese’, ‘Taiwanese’ have increasingly been used
by politics to promote group consciousness
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 However, there is no consistent definition of the term ‘Taiwanese’; the elite has
different definition than the rest of the people
 a much lower percentage of the elite uses narrow and exclusive criteria for defining
the term
 tendency to equate ethnical with national belonging
 most important when determining attitudes towards nationalism-related issues: how
differences are conceptualized, if differences are perceived as compatible;
 possible solution for solving problems between Chinese and Taiwanese in time of
transition: dividing ethnicity and cultural background from political identity
Political Democratization and Common Glory:
 national identities are socially and politically constructed, not inborn→ they can
change
 people living in social and territorial isolation form sense of group consciousness,
sudden change in group identity must have political explanation
 due to democratization people start to politically interact on a personal as well as on a
public level; people form new collective consciousness→ political definition of Taiwan and
Taiwanese arises
 democratic formation of government might lead people to automatically internalize
sense of national loyalty→ Democratization necessarily means Taiwanization
Enduring Rivalries and Common Suffering:
 fear of China causes tension between the two sides that are culturally and politically
highly different
 cultural and political differences as well as lack of consensus and trust cause a high
potential for turning unimportant matters into severe crises

China’s growing hostility towards Taiwan has caused concern over national security
and national identity→ has had impact on nation-state formation and rising number of
people who identify with Taiwan
Development of Taiwanese Consciousness:
 Public opinions between 1989 and 1993: support for independence and selfidentification with Taiwan increased (especially from 1991-1993), following the
normalization of cross-strait relations
 The impact of the Thousand Island Lake Incident: 24 tourists were robbed and killed
when visiting Thousand Lake Island on the mainland; there was evidence suggesting heavy
involvement of Chinese People’s Liberation Army in incident; however: Beijing
government soon stopped investigations and burned the body’s of victims, destroying
physical evidence
o Consequence: the people’s support for independence and Taiwanese identity
reached historic high;
o Possible explanation: it drew out differences between the cultures regarding
human rights; it enhanced feeling of common suffering and shock and
disappointment; people realized that China considered them ‘Taiwanese’,
regardless of their ethnicity
 Confrontations in the 1996 Presidential election: during time of first direct presidential
election: China started new verbal attacks combined with new series of large-scale military
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exercises and missile tests in close proximity to Taiwan→ allegedly there was political
motivation of tests and exercises
 Yet, attempts to intimidate voters failed
Effect s of the PRC’s Military Threats:
 Military threats may cause the Taiwanese to be more cautious in attempting
independence; they do not cause Taiwanese nationalism to slow down
 A survey after the presidential election found:
o 62 % of people questioned thought, the PRC’s military exercises would
weaken the people’s wish to unify with China; 11% said it would strengthen
the wish to do so
o 7% said the military exercise made them rethink their choice of presidential
candidate; 88% said it didn’t influence their choice
o 2% of the people said they felt very panicky in reaction to the military
exercises; 12% said they felt somewhat panicky
o 60% of the people said emigrating would not be a choice for them, even if they
would have the financial possibilities
o Being asked whether Taiwan was to accept the ‘one China, two systems’
proposal if China continues military threats:
 Only 4% said Taiwan should accept the proposal; 74% were for
rejecting the proposal
o 72% said China’s military threats didn’t make them feel pessimistic about
Taiwan’s future
Conclusion:
 Political democratization and threats from China have added to the sudden increase of
a civic national identity among the Taiwanese
 Democratization draws people together through political participation, creates sense of
loyalty for political system and of belonging to a common nation of Taiwan
 The Chinese hostility has caused a sense of common suffering, and thereby unites the
people
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