[Salon] Beijing hails Taiwanese scholar’s rare proposal on reunification

[Chas Freeman <cwfresidence@gmail.com>]

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Beijing hails Taiwanese scholar’s rare proposal on reunification

Published:  14 Sep 2026

Beijing has hailed a “one country, two systems” proposal by a Taiwanese scholar in a rare official statement on an issue regarded as politically sensitive on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

“We are pleased to see that more and more Taiwan compatriots are facing up to reunification, beginning to understand and discuss the specific content of a one country, two systems plan for Taiwan, and offering suggestions and proposals for such a plan through various means,” Chen Binhua, a spokesman for mainland China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said last week.

Chen was referring to a detailed proposal by Li Ci-ze, an associate professor at Taiwan’s National Changhua University of Education, on how one country, two systems could be applied to Taiwan.

Li submitted the proposal in late August to a mainland social media channel that has long focused on cross-strait issues.

Despite Beijing’s long-held stance that it wants Taiwan to reunite with the mainland under one country, two systems, it has never discussed in detail how the island would be governed in the arrangement.

Chen Binhua is a spokesman for Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office. Photo: CNA

Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2019 called for efforts to “explore a ‘two systems’ plan for Taiwan”, sparking a lively discussion among mainland media and scholars on ways to achieve reunification.

In contrast, mainstream politicians in Taiwan either remained lukewarm or were vocal in opposing the call.

Taiwan’s major political parties have yet to comment on Li’s proposal.

Citing a series of previous mainland statements on the subject, Li wrote that Taiwan, after peaceful reunification, should be able to retain its direct elections for the island’s top executive official and legislature while “fully retaining” its opposition parties.

He also proposed that, during the initial stage following reunification, the mainland should not permanently station troops in Taiwan. At the same time, Taiwan could pledge not to join foreign military alliances or deploy long-range weapons capable of threatening the mainland.

Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the United States, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-ruled island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.

Citing Beijing’s previous statements, the proposal further said that Taiwan should retain an independent judiciary, the power of final adjudication and its monetary system.

It did, however, state that Taiwan might have to give up its official name, the Republic of China.

Li proposed that foreign affairs should be handled centrally by Beijing, while Taiwan should retain forms of international participation that did not imply sovereignty, such as in the World Trade Organization and the Olympic Games.

The proposal has evoked considerable discussion on the mainland, with state-owned Global Times drawing public attention to it.

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A commentary posted to the newspaper’s website last Wednesday said that Li’s proposal set forth “the genuine concerns of Taiwanese society … way of life, continuity of institutions, judicial safeguards, fundamental rights and international functions”.

“The core concerns of mainland society are also clearly identified: the one-China principle, national sovereignty, the risk of external intervention and common obligations after reunification,” it added.

According to Zhang Wensheng, deputy dean of Xiamen University’s Taiwan Research Institute, such discussions are rare, and Beijing always welcomes them as long as they are premised on the one-China principle.

“For a long time, there has been very little detailed discussion or envisioning of how one country, two systems could work in Taiwan,” Zhang said. “Under the [ruling Democratic Progressive Party], which leans towards Taiwan independence, engaging in such discussion comes with considerable pressure.”

“Taiwanese society has long had concerns about one country, two systems. More public discussion may help eliminate prejudice and misunderstandings.”

Since 2019, mainland academics have developed several versions of a Taiwan plan for one country, two systems, Zhang added, saying Li’s proposal shared many features with those versions and left considerable room for flexible negotiations while maintaining the position that the two sides should ultimately reunify.

Yet, Li’s proposal highlighted a lack of trust in Taiwanese society over Beijing’s commitments and discussed ways to impose institutional constraints on Beijing’s ability to unilaterally alter commitments.

Li argued the question of whether Beijing could renege on its promises was “the deepest structural problem in one country, two systems”.

“If the two-systems arrangement is merely a policy that can be adjusted at any time, it will be impossible to gain the long-term trust of Taiwanese society,” he wrote. “The lessons previously seen in Hong Kong have already taught everyone this.”

A 2024 opinion poll conducted by Taiwanese authorities found that more than 85 per cent of respondents opposed the one country, two systems concept.

Even many leaders of the mainland-friendly Kuomintang, Taiwan’s main opposition party, have publicly rejected the idea and voiced support for maintaining the status quo.

Zhang cautioned that if the island were reunited by force, then it would enjoy much less autonomy, a point already asserted by Beijing’s closest Taiwan policy advisers.