Abstract
After mid-2000, Beijing inclusively redefined ‘one China’ as ‘both the mainland and Taiwan belonged to one China’. It also advocated the ‘peaceful development’ of China–Taiwan relations. Why did China moderate its Taiwan policy? I argue that the ‘1992 consensus’—a term invented and promoted by pan-Kuomintang (KMT) actors to describe the spirit of cross-Strait détente during 1992–1995—constituted China’s policy moderation. Pan-KMT actors persuaded Beijing that its coercive approaches had alienated the Taiwanese people and that a conciliatory approach might win their hearts and minds. Accepted by Beijing, the 1992 consensus constructed China’s Taiwan policy after 2000. Although Beijing has somewhat deemphasized the 1992 consensus since 2012, the term has established a legacy of appropriateness that Beijing is unlikely to undo in the short-to-medium term. In comparison with the Taiwanese case, no Hong Kong actors have played a role in persuading Beijing to keep its ‘one country, two systems’ promise.
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