| The Chinese Americans have long been an important force in promoting the exchange and cooperation between China and the United States. However, the fact that the Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Straits have yet to realize their unification has contributed to the division among the Chinese communities in the US over the issue of Taiwan. Taiwan's policies towards mainland China and overseas Chinese as well as its diplomatic, economic and defence policies are regarded part and parcel of what the Taiwan authorities refer to as"national security". The Taiwan authorities consider their work in the field of overseas Chinese affairs as"the second pipeline"to seek more"international space for existence". The overseas Chinese affairs policy pursued by the Taiwan authorities is the root cause for the division and antagonism among the Chinese communities in the US. This dissertation takes for subject of research Taiwan's overseas Chinese affairs policies since the founding of the People's Republic of China, which covers a period of more than half a century. It carefully traces the Taiwan authorities'changing policies towards the Chinese communities in the US, and makes a detailed study of two core political issues the Chinese communities in the US are involved in, one of which is"Who is the legitimate representative of China", the other"unification or independence". This is a topic that has been scarcely touched upon in the academic circles.The thesis consists, besides an introduction, of five chapters. Chapter 1 discusses the political division among the Chinese communities in the US during the period between 1949 and 1964 and points out that the political antagonism among the Chinese Americans was caused by the dominant influence exerted by the Taiwan Kuomintang authorities. Based on an analysis of the policies pursued by the Taiwan authorities towards the Chinese Americans, the chapter makes a detailed study of Kuomintang's policy evolution, of two opposing camps among the Chinese communities in the US, and the causes leading to the opposition. Chapter 2 covers the period between 1965 and 1978, addressing the relationship between the Chinese communities in the US and the Taiwan authorities'stratagems in dealing with overseas Chinese affairs. It points out that under the influence of the US civil rights movement, the Chinese Americans began to wake up politically and a new force among the communities emerged and the control over them by the Taiwan authorities began to show signs of weakening. Chapter 3 deals with the policies adopted by the Taiwan authorities to the Chinese Americans during the period between 1979 and 1988 and their influence on the latter. This chapter deals with the rapid development of a force among the Chinese communities in the US that support the People's Republic of China and the ebbing of the influence by the Taiwan authorities over the Chinese Americans and its causes. Chapter 4 discusses the evolution of the overseas Chinese affairs policy by the Taiwan authorities since 1989, analyses the impact of their line of"independence for Taiwan"on their overseas Chinese affairs policy. During the period, the Chinese communities in the US are mainly concerned with"Fan Du Cu Tong (anti–independence and promotion of unification)"which becomes a new issue which divides those communities. Chapter 5 is about the discoveries made in writing the dissertation and policy suggestions. It sums up the policies adopted by the Taiwan authorities and their evolution for more than half a century and the relationship between the Chinese communities in the US and these policies. The nature and characterictics of these policies are also discussed. The author, based on the research, has put forward some principles for our government to treat the Chinese Americans and make some policy suggestions for our overseas affairs policy. |
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