Cross-Strait Relations and International Organizations: Taiwan’s Participation in IGOs in the Context of Its Relationship with China

362 Pages·2014·6.431 MB·English

by  Björn Alexander Lindemann (auth.)

Ostasien im 21. Jahrhundert
Politik – Gesellschaft – Sicherheit –
Regionale Integration
Herausgegeben von
V. Blechinger-Talcott, Berlin, Deutschland
T. Heberer, Duisburg, Deutschland
S. Heilmann, Trier, Deutschland
H. Holbig, Frankfurt, Deutschland
P. Köllner, Hamburg, Deutschland
H. W. Maull, Trier, Deutschland
G. Schubert, Tübingen, Deutschland
Björn Alexander Lindemann
Cross-Strait Relations
and International
Organizations
Taiwan’s Participation in IGOs
in the Context of Its Relationship
with China
Björn Alexander Lindemann
Tübingen, Germany
Dissertation Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, 2012
ISBN 978-3-658-05526-4 ISBN 978-3-658-05527-1 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-658-05527-1
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Acknowledgment

This book would not have been possible without the encouragement and support
of family, friends and colleagues. First of all, I would like to express my deep
and sincere gratitude to Prof. Dr. Gunter Schubert, whose expertise, guidance
and constructive advice added considerably to the writing of this study. My spe-
cial thanks go to Stefan Braig and my colleagues at the European Research Cen-
ter on Contemporary Taiwan (ERCCT) for their input, inspiration and productive
discussions. I also greatly appreciate the assistance of Prof. Wang Yeh-lih and
Prof. Dr. Chang Ya-chung from the Department of Political Science of National
Taiwan University that hosted me as Visiting Scholar between September 2009
and May 2011.
I gratefully acknowledge the funding sources that made my research possi-
ble. The ERCCT Research Fellowship granted by the ERCCT and the Ministry
of Education of the Republic of China (Taiwan) provided financial support as
well as an excellent and stimulating environment for conducting my research.
Further thanks go to the University of Tübingen, the Chiang Ching-kuo Founda-
tion for International Scholarly Exchange and the Taipei Representative Office in
Berlin for their support and cooperation. In addition, I also would like to thank
Anna Mackay for the excellent quality of her proofreading and, in this context, I
am glad to acknowledge the financial support of the Universitätsbund Tübingen.
I owe a special debt of gratitude to all interviewees for spending much time
to talk to me despite their tight schedules. While this study benefited greatly
from every single interview, I am particularly grateful for the help and efforts of
Ambassador Yen Ching-chang and Prof. Michael Kau who demonstrated deep
interest in my research and opened numerous doors for me, Dr. Mignonne Chan
and Prof. Connie Guang-hwa Yang who invested much of their time to share
their expertise and provided invaluable insights during our discussions, and Prof.
Dr. Tang Shao-cheng who has provided his time, help and expertise already for
many years.
Further thanks go to my friends for their encouragement and advice. In par-
ticular, I am grateful to Kathy Ko for her smart suggestions and important con-
tacts, Sebastian Biba for proposing major improvements on my theoretical
framework even late at night, and Jeff Wood for reading and commenting on
6 Acknowledgment
various parts of the text. I owe much to Huang Shu-xin for her love, understand-
ing and patience with me.
Finally, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my family for their
love and encouragement in particular through the time period of this research. I
am deeply indebted to my parents, Klaus und Doris Lindemann, and my whole
family who provided invaluable emotional and financial support. I dedicate this
book to them.
Contents

Acronyms and Abbreviations ......................................................................... 11

Tables .............................................................................................................. 15

Figures ............................................................................................................ 16

1 Introduction .......................................................................................... 17
1.1 Cross-Strait Relations and International Organizations ................. 17
1.2 Scope of the Book and Research Question .................................... 20
1.3 Case Studies ................................................................................... 22
1.4 Literature Review .......................................................................... 24
1.5 Theoretical Framework .................................................................. 26
1.6 Research Method ........................................................................... 28
1.7 Chapter Overview .......................................................................... 30

2 Theoretical Framework ....................................................................... 33
2.1 Neoclassical Realism and Foreign Policy Analysis ....................... 33
2.2 The Role of International Organizations in Realist Theory ........... 41
2.3 China’s Rise and the Implications for Taiwan ............................... 44
2.4 Taiwan’s Foreign Policy in Response to China’s Rise .................. 50
2.5 Intervening Variables ..................................................................... 54
2.5.1 Domestic Competition between the Pan-Green Camp
and the Pan-Blue Camp ................................................... 54
2.5.2 The Rise of a Distinct Taiwanese Identity ....................... 59
2.5.3 Threat Perception of China .............................................. 63

3 Historical Overview of Cross-Strait Relations in IGOs .................... 69
3.1 1949-1988: From Diplomatic Competition to Diplomatic
Isolation ......................................................................................... 69
3.2 1988-2002: Gaining International Space through “Flexible
Diplomacy” .................................................................................... 74
3.3 2002-2008: Taiwan’s IGO Policy under Chen Shui-bian .............. 79
8 Contents
3.4 2008-2011: Taiwan’s IGO Policy under Ma Ying-jeou ................. 85

4 Case Study 1: The World Trade Organization (WTO) ..................... 95
4.1 Taiwan’s Application for Membership of the GATT/WTO .......... 97
4.2 Cross-Strait Relations in the WTO 2002-2008 ............................ 108
4.2.1 The First Year: Early Interactions within the WTO
Framework .................................................................... 108
4.2.2 The Blue Book Dispute .................................................. 119
4.2.3 The Government Procurement Agreement .................... 129
4.2.4 The Judge Dispute ......................................................... 146
4.3 Cross-Strait Relations in the WTO before and after 2008 ........... 151
4.4 Conclusion of the WTO Case Study ............................................ 157

5 Case Study 2: The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) ... 161
5.1 Cross-Strait Relations in APEC: An Overview ........................... 163
5.2 Cross-Strait Relations in APEC 2002-2008 ................................. 168
5.2.1 The APEC Summits ....................................................... 168
5.2.2 The APEC Working Level ............................................. 174
5.3 Cross-Strait Relations in APEC after 2008 .................................. 176
5.3.1 The APEC Summits ....................................................... 177
5.3.2 The APEC Working Level ............................................. 180
5.4 Conclusion of the APEC Case Study ........................................... 184

6 Case Study 3: The World Health Organization (WHO) ................. 187
6.1 Taiwan’s WHO Campaign – Motives, Arguments and Strategies 190
6.2 Cross-Strait Relations in the WHO 2002-2008 ............................ 200
6.2.1 2002: Increasing Support for Taiwan’s Low-Key Bid ... 200
6.2.2 2003: SARS as a Catalyst for Taiwan’s Campaign ....... 202
6.2.3 2004: Calling for a Vote: Taiwan’s Quest Becomes
Highly Visible ................................................................ 212
6.2.4 2005: The Memorandum of Understanding and the
International Health Regulations ................................... 214
6.2.5 2006: Meaningful Participation and Growing
Frustration over China ................................................... 224
6.2.6 2007: Politicization of the WHO: Application for Full
Membership under the Name “Taiwan” ........................ 225
6.2.7 2008: From Chen to Ma: Conflicting Approaches ......... 231
6.3 Cross-Strait Relations in the WHO after 2008 ............................. 232
6.3.1 2008: Cross-Strait Relations: Slowly Working toward
WHA Observership ........................................................ 232
Contents 9
6.3.2 2009: WHA Observer Status and IHR Inclusion ........... 233
6.3.3 2010: The Descent of Taiwan’s WHO Campaign:
inside WHA, outside WHO ........................................... 241
6.3.4 2011: The WHO’s Internal Memo: Controversies over
Taiwan’s Status .............................................................. 243
6.4 Conclusion of the WHO Case Study ............................................ 246

7 Case Study 4: The United Nations (UN) and Its Specialized
Agencies ............................................................................................... 253
7.1 Taiwan’s UN Bids 1993-2002 ..................................................... 256
7.2 Cross-Strait Relations and the UN 2002-2008 ............................. 260
7.2.1 2002-2006: From Dual Representation to “One China,
One Taiwan” .................................................................. 260
7.2.2 2007: UN Membership Bid under the Name “Taiwan” . 262
7.3 Cross-Strait Relations and the UN after2008 ............................... 269
7.3.1 2008: Requesting Meaningful Participation in the
Activities of the UN Specialized Agencies .................... 269
7.3.2 2009-2011: From UN to UNFCCC and ICAO .............. 271
7.3.2.1 Taiwan’s UNFCCC Campaign ..................... 273
7.3.2.2 Taiwan’s ICAO Campaign ............................ 281
7.4 Conclusion of the UN Case Study ............................................... 284

8 Conclusion: Cross-Strait Relations and International
Organizations ...................................................................................... 287
8.1 Positions on Taiwan’s IGO Participation ..................................... 287
8.2 The Main Characteristic Features of Cross-Strait Relations in
IGOs ............................................................................................. 292
8.3 Explanations for Taiwan’s IGO Policy and Strategy Change ...... 295
8.4 The Development of Taiwan’s International Space ..................... 300
8.5 Future Models for Taiwan’s IGO Participation and Outlook ....... 301

9 Bibliography ....................................................................................... 307
9.1 Official Documentation from Major International Organizations 307
9.1.1 WTO Documents ........................................................... 307
9.1.2 APEC Documents .......................................................... 309
9.1.3 WHO Documents ........................................................... 309
9.1.4 UN Documents .............................................................. 310
9.2 Literature ...................................................................................... 312
9.3 Interviews .................................................................................... 345
10 Contents
Appendices ................................................................................................... 347
Appendix A: General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, Council:
Minutes of the Meeting, 29 September-1 October 1992 (WTO
Doc. C/M/259 (excerpt)) ...................................................................... 348
Appendix B: Committee on Government Procurement:
Modalities of Accession to the Agreement on Government
Procurement (WTO Doc. GPA/87) ...................................................... 351
Appendix C: Committee on Government Procurement:
Accession of the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan,
Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu (WTO Doc. GPA/96 (excerpt)) ............... 352
Appendix D: Implementation of the Memorandum of
Understanding Between the WHO Secretariat and China .................... 355
Appendix E: Memorandum – Application of the International
Health Regulations (2005) to the Taiwan Province of China ............... 361