Taiwan in Chinese newspapers: From the Anti-Secession Law to the ECFA

This paper examines the puzzle of intense political conflict amidst a flourishing economic relationship in the case of Taiwan and Mainland China. 42 city-level newspapers, two national papers, and one semi-official paper were examined in the attempt to answer three questions: How did reporting about Taiwan change over time between March 2005 and September 2010? Are there regional differences in how and when the newspapers discuss Taiwan? Do different types of Chinese newspapers write about the Taiwan situation differently? The primary method of comparing these newspapers and examining their changes over time was through charting the number of articles containing certain key political and economic terms. The study concludes that the newspapers do not show significant evidence of the growing economic relationship affecting the level of political tension signaled by China. Rather, the highs and lows in Mainland China's attitude towards Taiwan over time reflect political changes in Taiwan above all else. Regional papers from areas with closer economic ties to Taiwan write slightly more about politics and significantly more about economics than other city papers. However, the pattern over time is the same in both groups. The semi-official paper does not vary substantially from the more official papers. While there has been a thawing of ties between Taiwan and the Mainland in recent years, the pattern of political terms examined in this paper indicates that the primary factors producing this change are political rather than economic events.