The Political Thinking of the Mainland Taishang: Some Preliminary Observations from the Field

Abstract

This article explores the political thinking of Taiwanese business people ( taishang) and factory managers ( taigan) on the Chinese mainland by drawing on qualitative data gathered between 2006 and 2008 in the Pearl River Delta and the Shanghai/ Kunshan metropolitan area. An ideal type of taishang is constructed to explain the major features of their identification with Taiwan, their perspectives on cross-Strait relations, their integration in Chinese society and their self-assessment as political actors in the shaping of cross-Strait relations. An important finding of this study is that the taishang is a rather apolitical figure who does not see much leeway to develop autonomous political leverage. However, this may change gradually as cross-Strait relations have eased significantly since the Kuomintang (KMT) (Guomindang) came to power in mid-2008 and the governments in Beijing and Taibei have experienced a rapprochement.

The Strengths of China's Charm Offensive: Changes in the Political Landscape of a Southern Taiwan Town under Attack from Chinese Economic Power

“…After all, for China, it does not matter whether these changes are real as long as they are persistent. 58 Adams 2009;Keng and Schubert 2010;Schubert 2010. To summarize, this study suggests that China's economic statecraft is more effective than previous scholars and the Business Weekly investigation have argued. The contract farming programme in Syuejia does work.…”

Nation, Migration, Identity: Learning from the Cross‐Strait Context

“…Yet, this seemed rather a strategic approach, to avoid falling into the dichotomy of China/Taiwan relations. The literature argues that Taishangs remain very much attached to their homeland, no matter how long they have worked and lived in the PRC (Schubert, ). This was confirmed by our interviewees.…”

“…The literature on identity of Taiwanese businessmen and students in China is an example. Schubert () argues that Taiwanese investors tend to remain very much attached to their homeland, no matter how long they have worked and lived in China. Although, on different occasions, Taiwanese entrepreneurs may decide to show different “situational identities”, such as transnational, cosmopolitan or global, these are mainly strategic choices in order to avoid awkward discussions with Chinese citizens (Schubert, ).…”

“…Schubert () argues that Taiwanese investors tend to remain very much attached to their homeland, no matter how long they have worked and lived in China. Although, on different occasions, Taiwanese entrepreneurs may decide to show different “situational identities”, such as transnational, cosmopolitan or global, these are mainly strategic choices in order to avoid awkward discussions with Chinese citizens (Schubert, ). Lan and Wu (), focusing on Taiwanese students in China, explore how boundaries between themselves and the “others” (Chinese citizens) are constantly constructed in the narratives and practices of Taiwanese students.…”

Transnational mobility, strong states and contested sovereignty: Learning from the China–Taiwan context

“…In this way, it extends its authority over an area that, although ideally part of China, is not directly under its control. Furthermore, while much of the scholarship focused on Taiwan has explored the Taiwanese state’s actions toward cross-Strait migrant communities (Friedman, 2010; Keng and Schubert, 2010; King, 2011; Liao, 2008), little is known about the Chinese state’s actions. Thus, this paper aims to fill this gap and to bring cross-Strait migrations beyond the scholarship on Taiwan Studies, to explore states’ responses to contemporary flows of cross-border movements.…”