Interpreting Xi Jinping’s “‘Two Systems’ Taiwan Plan”

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of the issuance of the “Message to Compatriots in Taiwan”, Xi called for exploring a “‘Two Systems’ Taiwan Plan” (“两制”台湾方案). His exhortation was an implicit acknowledgment that the implementation of “One Country, Two Systems” (1C2S) in Hong Kong and Macao was an ill-suited model for unifying Taiwan with mainland China. PRC researchers heeded Xi’s call, conducting research on the design and implementation of a new version of 1C2S for Taiwan. Xi’s instruction appeared again in an August 2022 white paper, “The Taiwan Question and China’s Reunification in the New Era”, issued by the PRC’s Taiwan Affairs Office and The State Council Information Office. Beijing, however, has yet to announce the adoption of a “‘Two Systems’ Taiwan Plan.” 

A careful examination of analyses and recommendations put forward by PRC scholars provides valuable insight into ongoing domestic discussions about the Taiwan Plan and, should Xi decide to adopt it, a foreshadowing of some of its content. This paper examines “A Preliminary Discussion on the One Country, Two Systems Taiwan Plan” (一国两制台湾方案初论), a compilation of 40 academic articles published in China Review (中國評論) between 2019 and early 2023. The authors, most of whom work for prominent PRC think tanks and universities, provide their views on three distinct aspects of the Taiwan Plan: its characteristics and principles, the pathways toward unification, and possible post-unification institutional arrangements. Perhaps Beijing has decided to shelve the plan until a more propitious time; and if a Taiwan Plan eventually emerges, it could be substantially different from scholars’ proposals presented in the book and analyzed in this paper. Furthermore, it cannot be excluded that the “‘Two Systems’ Taiwan Plan” may never materialize.