Introduction

China and Taiwan are experiencing significant conflict that has drawn the attention of

different powerful nations worldwide. The China-Taiwan conflict is an international affair that

emerged due to the decision of Taiwan to separate from China to pursue its activities

independently in 1949 (Maizland, 2022). However, China has not recognized the independence

of Taiwan and still considers it part of Chinese territory. Consequently, the conflict between

Taiwan and China poses an international security threat because of the likelihood of brutality and

violation of human rights as their allies consolidate support to win the war. This paper aims to

assess available literature and describe how they can help policymakers address the Taiwan-

China conflict using the liberalism theory. Liberalism is a theoretical concept that postulates that

individuals’ rights and liberty are crucial in effective governance, from political and moral

perspectives (Bell 2014). Further, liberalism emphasizes political and constitutional equality

among society members. Therefore, liberalism can mitigate the Taiwan-China conflict by

promoting democracy and free international trade, promoting multiculturalism and supporting

international institutions.

Literature review

In his research, Nussbaum (2011) describes liberalism as a political and moral principle

that emphasizes the significance of liberty in individual or nations' activities. Liberty in the

activities that individuals or nations undertake is evident in their pursuit of programs that suit

their interests. Allowing individuals or governments to pursue their interests is crucial for

promoting lasting peace between them and their neighbors. By limiting the opportunity of

Taiwan to trade with international partners of its choosing, China inhibits Taiwanese liberty,
thereby provoking the Taiwanese into resisting Chinese influences. However, by promoting

liberalism, China will change its approach to dealing with international affairs, allowing Taiwan

to pursue its interests. The Chinese interference with Taiwan’s liberty is evident in the pressure it

mounts on Taiwanese trade partners.

Ismayilzada and Önsoy (2022) argue that China has formulated non-military plans to

intimidate Taiwan into agreeing to abandon its plans of directly engaging with international trade

partners. The intimidation of Taiwan against engaging in international trade has negatively

impacted the country’s economy due to low incomes from its commercial activities. Besides the

interference in Taiwan’s global commerce, China has directly contacted other countries, such as

the US warning them against supplying Taiwan with sensitive items such as weapons. The

decision to curtail Taiwan’s plans of enhancing its security and improving its economic status

leads to increased animosity between the country and China. However, from the liberal

perspective, initiating measuress that will promote Taiwan's liberty will be important in

mitigating the likelihood of a Chinese-Taiwan conflict. Therefore, researchers affirm that liberal

approach to Taiwan-China conflict will create an opportunity for China to continue its cross-

border activities with Taiwan without meddling in its economic and security programs.

According to Bell (2014), liberalism advocates for creating opportunities for expressing

one’s opinions, peaceful transferring of power, and representing diverse ethnicities in

governance. From Bell’s perspective, liberalism will help avert the Taiwan-China conflict by

promoting democracy to address differences between parties. By creating a platform for sharing

ideas, individuals or parties reach an agreement that best suits their demands concerning an

emotive issue. Like Bell (2014), Nussbaum (2011) argues that by promoting democracy

liberalism will be vital for the peaceful transfer of power, preventing governments from engaging
in conflicts to achieve their ambitions. For instance, liberalism underscores the significance of

dialogues as a strategy for solving disputes. By encouraging the conflicting parties to hold a

constructive dialogue for solving their disputes, liberalism will help avert the risks of Taiwan-

China tension escalating into violent combat. The Chinese authorities are unwilling to peacefully

transfer power to the Taiwanese leaders despite the latter’s decision to dissociate from the former

in 1949, as they believe Taiwan is part of China. However, through constructive dialogues, the

Chinese authorities can change their perspective toward Taiwan’s intentions of becoming

independent. Moore (2018) assesses China response to international policies which shows the

contradictory stance the country takes. Unfortunately, the Chinese authorities have shown desire

to interfere with the policies guiding international seafaring, depicting that liberalism requires

substantial support from other political powers to successfully mitigate the likelihood of military

conflict. However, a proper application of liberal principles in Taiwan-China conflict will

entrench democracy in the governance of Asian affairs, thereby mitigating violent aggression.

In his article on international policies, Choi (2010) argues that liberalism supports the

creation and respect of international bodies to guide governments on how to trade or solve their

conflicts. International institutions are independent bodies that rely on professional guidance on

making critical decisions on societal issues. Supporting the creation of international bodies to

address disputes between countries is crucial in ensuring that governments peacefully resolve

their disputes as the institutions present the conflicting parties with a useful guide on conducting

their affairs without interfering with others’ programs. Also, Moore (2018) opines that

international institutions formulate codes of conduct that guide governments in regard to their

relationships with one another. Through respect to policies or guidelines which international

institutions prepare, governments cooperate in the process of conflict resolution. For instance,
international institutions such as United Nations (UN) have a code of conduct to which countries

adhere concerning their interaction with other governments. Consequently, countries that are UN

members are likely to cooperate during the conflict resolution process.

In his article on international relations, Nye (2017) argues that the role of liberalism in

addressing conflicts is also evident in the influence which international institutions have on the

decision-making processes on issues affecting conflicting parties. Notably, liberalism advocates

for the respect of the decisions independent bodies make in solving social, economic, and

political problems affecting different groups in society or governments. From the liberal

perspective, international institutions will evaluate the demands of the conflicting parties and

offer a fair ruling. However, when either of the parties fails to agree with the international

institution's decisions, they have the opportunity to seek redress in other advanced bodies.

Richmond, Björkdahl, and Kappler (2011) reinforce Nye’s argument as they claim that by

promoting international institutions’ neutrality in solution of issues affecting society, liberalism

is crucial in reducing prevalence of armed conflicts. Researchers above (Richmond,

Björkdahl, and Kappler 2011; Nye 2017) contend that liberalism allows international

bodies with a team of professionals to intervene in solving contflicts between governments.

Therefore, by supporting the creation and respect of international institutions to spearhead the

solution of conflict between governments, liberalism is suitable for Taiwan-China case.

Kymlicka (2018) compiled a research showing that liberalism enhances multiculturalism

by promoting respect and recognition of diversity in a given society or setting. By entrenching

respect for diversity among society members, liberalism creates an opportunity for mutual

understanding because individuals view one another with dignity. For instance, through

multiculturalism, people from a given culture respect other cultures in their interactions with
societal affairs. Similarly, Citrin, Levy, and Wright (2014) argue that multiculturalism is also

vital for the cooperation and peaceful interaction between people from different nations, as they

uphold the principle of respect during their interactions. Consequently, there will be peaceful

relationship between individuals regardless of the differences in their social and political values.

The critical role that liberalism plays in promoting diversity among society members will be

evidenced by reduced tension and conflict among individuals from diverse backgrounds as they

interact in commercial, social, and political programs. Applying liberalism in the case of Taiwan-

China will help mitigate the likelihood of military conflict as there will be respect for different

people from the two countries. Heo (2003) argues that, unlike China which is communist,

Taiwan is democratic, making the two countries have different values. However, through

liberalism, Chinese and Taiwanese citizens will disregard their political and social differences to

embrace peace.

According to Krickovic (2015), liberalists believe that interdependence is vital in

mitigating the likelihood of conflict between governments. However, occurrences in

contemporary society depict that only complex interdependence leads to peace between nations

as they lack market liberalization. Complex interdependence exists when states depend on one

another in different dimensions (Krickovic 2015). The role of interdependence in a conflict

between governments in international conflict is evident in EU-Russia case. Krickovic (2015)

argues that interdependent governments believe that they can only enhance their value in a dyad

relationship by causing instability in their partners and increasing their dependence. For instance,

Russia believes it can increase its value in trade with the the EU by indirectly causing instability

in the latter by attacking Ukraine. However, the attacks in Ukraine worsen the underlying

conflict between Russia and the EU. Similarly, liberalism may be ineffective in China-Taiwan
conflict if they are interdependent, as they will strive to instigate instability in one another as a

strategy for increasing their significance in bilateral trade.

Conclusion

As evident in this paper, liberalism mitigates conflicts by prompting respect for

international institutions, supporting democracy, and free international trade. Through liberalism,

governments respect the decisions of other countries and avoid activities that can lead to violent

confrontations. Through extensive research, it is evident that liberalism will be vital in mitigating

the Taiwan-China conflict and improving the citizens’ welfare. Since Taiwan has achieved its

independence from China, it is prudent that Taiwanese leaders adhere to the liberal principle of

diplomacy. Liberalism will also enhance Taiwan’s and China’s ability to pursue their

interests in international commerce without interference from other governments, thereby

allowing them to expand their economic statuses. Through the diplomacy policy, Taiwan will

avoid aggressions that result in military conflict with China, thereby curtailing its progress in

entrenching its independence. Although liberalism will help mitigate the Taiwan-China conflict,

there is a drawback if China fails to recognize the role of international institutions in steering a

constructive dialogue between the leaders.

Recommendation

As this research portrays, liberalism is the most effective approach for mitigating the conflict

between Taiwan and China. Therefore, stakeholders should adopt liberal principles in their

attempts to entrench peace between China and Taiwan by

 encouraging constructive dialogue between Chinese and Taiwanese leaders

 educate the citizens of the two countries on significance of diversity in society

countries

 Appeal to China to cooperate with the measures stakeholders recommend in addressing

conflict with Taiwan.

 Encourage Taiwan not to provoke China

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