US-China Relations and the Taiwan Factor.

With the diplomatic warming of US-China relations, the recent resumption of the Koo-Wang meeting and Taiwan's elections for legislators, mayors, and city councilors, cross-Taiwan Strait relations are at another historical turning point. While the improvement of US-China relations tends to relieve both sides from rhetoric exchanges of 'China threat' and 'US-Taiwan conspiracy', Clinton's oral declaration of the 'Three No's' has raised serious concerns in Taiwan. With such a background, a group of experts and policy-making participants from the US, Taiwan and Mainland China gathered again at a conference on 'US-China Relations and the Taiwan Factor' in Washington, DC in mid-October 1998. This was the second episode in a series of symposia on US-China relations sponsored by the Association of Chinese Political Studies (ACPS). The symposium attempts to provide a free, intimate, and long-term forum for a group of influential experts with different perspectives from the US, Taiwan and Mainland China. As a result, a deep understanding of common interests has been reached and clear differences have also been recognized through direct dialogue and frank exchange of ideas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]