Cooperation under Anarchy?--Paradoxes of the Intra-Chinese Rapprochement

Abstract

The two most commonly accepted approaches to international relations are those of the neorealist and neoliberal schools. But whereas the pros and cons of the two schools have been debated exhaustively in many works on international relations, these issues have scarcely been raised among students of Chinese politics. The Taiwan-mainland China relationship represents a classic case for testing the validity of cooperation under anarchy. The recent developments between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait raise serious theoretical questions about whether a first step in cooperation between the two governments is conducive to creating a new world order in this region. This requires the provision of an analytical framework and more attention to issues of conflict and cooperation in post-Cold War international relations.