China and Taiwan in 1986

Jonathan D. Pollack

Expert InsightsPublished 1987

This paper is adapted from essays written for the Britannica Book of the Year--1987. In it, the author reviews key political, economic, and foreign policy developments in China and Taiwan during 1986. In the case of China, he notes that continuing development caused strain. Domestic reform was met with the boldest challenge to authority since the Cultural Revolution--unsanctioned student protests, which were countered by a conservative movement before being banned. In economic reform, an excessive growth rate was curbed, foreign investing declined dramatically, and previous successes seemed headed to a difficult slowdown. In Taiwan, 1986 was an extraordinary economic year. Increased wealth resulted in opposition forces being permitted some formal organization and the proposed lifting of martial law in 1987. Unofficial contact with China increased markedly. The only negatives were strains over succession, economic tensions with the United States, and Taiwan's anomalous international status.

Topics

Document Details

  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web Only
  • Year: 1987
  • Pages: 13
  • Document Number: P-7308

Citation

Chicago Manual of Style

Pollack, Jonathan D., China and Taiwan in 1986. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1987. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P7308.html.
BibTeX RIS

This publication is part of the RAND paper series. The paper series was a product of RAND from 1948 to 2003 that captured speeches, memorials, and derivative research, usually prepared on authors' own time and meant to be the scholarly or scientific contribution of individual authors to their professional fields. Papers were less formal than reports and did not require rigorous peer review.

This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.

RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.