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Taiwan’s Balancing Policy Against China after 2016: An Analysis of Three Domestic Variables
Abstract
According to realistic mindset, a weaker country has three options when faced with a rising power. It can engage in bandwagoning, which includes having friendly relations with the great power and even in extreme cases, completely capitulating to it. Balancing, on the other hand, is trying to confront the rising power by having an alliance with the enemies of said country. Hedging is a mixture between the two and generally, it means pursuing bandwagoning regarding economic relations, but preferring balancing on security issues. This study examines the domestic factors that led to Taipei’s decision of balancing vis-à-vis mainland China. While the Chen and Ma administrations pursued a hedging policy in the 2000s and early 2010s, the election of Tsai Ing-wen in 2016 resulted in Taipei changing this policy. The article argues that this policy is undergirded by three domestic variables. The first variable is the election results. Pro-independence DPP won the last three presidential elections. Their ideological position allowed Taipei to pursue balancing against China. The two remaining factors, namely “Taiwanization of Taiwan because of a generational shift” and the “changing public opinion regarding Taiwanese and Chinese identity” helped the DPP administration to pursue pure balancing against China.
Keywords
References
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Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Politics in International Relations
Journal Section
Research Article
Authors
Publication Date
June 29, 2026
Submission Date
July 26, 2025
Acceptance Date
June 10, 2026
Published in Issue
Year 2026 Volume: 21 Number: 1
APA
Ergül, M. F. (2026). Taiwan’s Balancing Policy Against China after 2016: An Analysis of Three Domestic Variables. Sosyal Bilimler Araştırmaları Dergisi, 21(1), 310-323. https://doi.org/10.48145/gopsbad.1751311
AMA
1.Ergül MF. Taiwan’s Balancing Policy Against China after 2016: An Analysis of Three Domestic Variables. JSSR. 2026;21(1):310-323. doi:10.48145/gopsbad.1751311
Chicago
Ergül, Mehmet Furkan. 2026. “Taiwan’s Balancing Policy Against China After 2016: An Analysis of Three Domestic Variables”. Sosyal Bilimler Araştırmaları Dergisi 21 (1): 310-23. https://doi.org/10.48145/gopsbad.1751311.
EndNote
Ergül MF (June 1, 2026) Taiwan’s Balancing Policy Against China after 2016: An Analysis of Three Domestic Variables. Sosyal Bilimler Araştırmaları Dergisi 21 1 310–323.
IEEE
[1]M. F. Ergül, “Taiwan’s Balancing Policy Against China after 2016: An Analysis of Three Domestic Variables”, JSSR, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 310–323, June 2026, doi: 10.48145/gopsbad.1751311.
ISNAD
Ergül, Mehmet Furkan. “Taiwan’s Balancing Policy Against China After 2016: An Analysis of Three Domestic Variables”. Sosyal Bilimler Araştırmaları Dergisi 21/1 (June 1, 2026): 310-323. https://doi.org/10.48145/gopsbad.1751311.
JAMA
1.Ergül MF. Taiwan’s Balancing Policy Against China after 2016: An Analysis of Three Domestic Variables. JSSR. 2026;21:310–323.
MLA
Ergül, Mehmet Furkan. “Taiwan’s Balancing Policy Against China After 2016: An Analysis of Three Domestic Variables”. Sosyal Bilimler Araştırmaları Dergisi, vol. 21, no. 1, June 2026, pp. 310-23, doi:10.48145/gopsbad.1751311.
Vancouver
1.Mehmet Furkan Ergül. Taiwan’s Balancing Policy Against China after 2016: An Analysis of Three Domestic Variables. JSSR. 2026 Jun. 1;21(1):310-23. doi:10.48145/gopsbad.1751311