Governing the Taiwan Issue in Accordance with Law: An Essay on China's Anti-Secession Law

Abstract

The anti-secession law of the People's Republic of China was swiftly adopted in March 2005 to put legal checks on Taiwan's movement toward independence. Legal bases of the law are reviewed. The simple law (appended in full) states that Taiwan is part of China, opposes its secession, & promotes peaceful national reunification using a "carrot & stick" approach. The law is based on the belief that China is a continuum of prior Chinese regimes & is, thus, a legitimate representative of all of China. The law needs to be implemented to have teeth, but China is firmly committed to the rule of law & may resort to war to defend this policy. M. Pflum.