EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. CHINESE PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN TAIWAN (NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence, 2019)
The People's Republic of China's 'One China' principle is a fundamental part of China's foreign policy. It plays a large role in China's relations with other countries including Taiwan and, more recently, has been included in the Communist Party of China's 2049 'National Rejuvenation' centenary goals. China engages in public diplomacy - the means of engaging with foreign publics in service of the national interest - in Taiwan in an attempt to persuade the Taiwanese public of the benefits of one China subordinated to Beijing. In recent years, opinion polls of Taiwanese views on reunification and national identity indicate the results of these efforts have been mixed. China also makes its 'One China' principle a non-negotiable aspect of its relations with other countries. This is part of a campaign to cut off ties with Taiwan in an attempt to force Taiwan to come to the negotiation table. While Chinese efforts may not have curbed Taiwan's growing sense of national identity, this activity should be viewed within the context of China's broader presence on the international stage, its increasing economic and military might; China's ambitions to 'rejuvenate and reunify the great Chinese nation'; and China's continued refusal to rule out the rule of force to achieve reunification