Chapter V Conclusion
5.1 Research Findings And Results
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Chapter V Conclusion
From the perspective of subaltern realism and multilateralism of international relations theory, along with case study interviewed in a way of in-‐depth interviews, this paper
examines the breakthrough of the local government on cross-‐strait city exchanges and the lack of the central government management on the topic.
It takes Hualian, the second-‐teir city in the east of Taiwan, as a case study example and try to look up for the main reason of the contradiction between the intergovernments.
5.1 Research Findings And Results
The paper found that “enterprising city governance” has emerged as a Zeitgeist in tandem with globalization. What’s more, cross-‐strait exchanges between cities may pave the way for Taiwan local interests.
For Hualian, a resourcelss second-‐tier city and located in remote and eastern-‐part of Taiwan, its local government has brought considerable economic benefits through cross-‐strait exchanges; while it might also demage Taiwan national security and long-‐term development of cross-‐strait exchanges.
The intergovernmental contradiction between central and local government is for reason that the central government in Taiwan is reluctant to the management on cross-‐strait
exchanges between cities as well as the importance role of local governments and indeginous non-‐governmental organizations.
(1) Enterprising city governance serves as a Zeitgeist; Cross-strait cities exchanges pave the way for Taiwan local interests.
The dispute of Six Taiwan Cities in 2011, it shows that the cental and locals takes different stance on national land development and city governance. The lack of financial
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subsidies from the central to locals has gapping the intergovernmental relations and tempting the locals to seek its own interests and create more possibilities by the means of cross-‐strait exchanges.
Take Hualian for instance, its aims at the economic benefits by marketing organic agriculture and promoting medical tourism through performing cross-‐ strait city diplomacy.
How Hualien reaching Out to China? It performs groundsbreaking strategies with the spirit of enterprise to reconstruct the public sector. In the context of global cities economy competition, it plays the role as a risk-‐taker (working on public-‐private partnership
cooperation of cross-‐ strait marketing company for county agricultural products) or an active competitor (competing with the domestic first-‐tier cities and strive for sightseeing
direct-‐flights in the cross-‐strait). For cross-‐strait city exchanges, Hualian is keen on implementing wise investment and marketing capabilities (shaping Hualien welcoming images through political issue manipulating).
As for second-‐tier city with urgent need on reconstruction and economic regeneration, the strengtheness of city competitiveness serves as the priority. That is to say, Hualian seeks economic benefits in the cross-‐strait exchanges is synonymous with the trend of enterprising city governance in the era of globalization.
(2) The cross-strait exchanges create considerable benefits for Hualian; while it might damage Taiwan national securty and long-term cross-strait exchanges.
From the perspective of Subaltern Realism, the less developed city of Hualian would safeguard its authority as a priority. In order to perform the necessary functions of city and in the face of the political constraints in the economy and challenges, Haulien often depends on external sources for safety and economy.
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It will only interact with the neighboring and charactieristic-‐similiarity cities (such as Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region). Haulien might concern about the short-‐term interests (economic benefits) rather than long-‐term interests (national security issues).
Although it might bring considerable economic benefits for Haulien by making the first allied with the city on both sides and negotiating with the China high ranks face to face.
Hualien detoured the central regulation or even leaded the central decision-‐making right on the cross-‐strait consultations.
It also features that in the context of cross-‐strait relationship, Hualian is forced to participate in independently. The lack of mutual trust and poor communication between central government and Hualien leads to the local different agenda under the table, being a coming contentious government and posing a threat for central coherent mechanism. What is worse, it might also demage Taiwan national security and long-‐term development of
cross-‐strait exchanges and remains discussing deeply.
(3) The conflict between the intergovernments lies in the lack of central government’s active management on both sides.
This paper found that the lack of coordination in the central government, the lack of active management on cross-‐strait city exchanges and neglecting the role of local government and non-‐governmental organizations lead to the local different agenda under the table, being a coming contentious government.
In other words, the conservative management of cross-‐strait city exchanges is featured that the lack of central coordination mechanism and local initatives including political decision-‐making rights, political level meeting, financial subsidies and administrative power as well as the intermediary support for local NGOs.
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It seriously neglects that local government can effectively play a mediating role between the central government and local non-‐governmental organizations on both sides of political or grass roots level exchanges. Therefore, it often happens caused national barriers in the
implementation of cross-‐strait policy with the inability of responsing the local public opinion timely, and difficult to come to sustainable collaboration on the both side.
(4) In conclusion
To sum up, the central government play the dominant role in cross-‐strait exchanges, the role of local governments is still limited and failed to function.
This paper argues that the traditional relationship between the central and local is the concept of centralization and decentralization. In fact, the complexity of global public affairs has led to the rise of city governance. As if the implementation of cross-‐strait policy with the inability of responsing the local public opinion timely, it arise the question that the
management on cross-‐strait city exchanges may be difficult to completely dominant by the central or the local alone, except for centralization and decentralization , the whole conepts also relies on share responsibility.
It is suggested that it might apply the multilateralism to the management on cross-‐strait city exchanges by “local governments” as a pivotal role for coordinating, mediating and linkaging the central and local grassroots in order to make a concerted efforts between citizens organizations, local government and countries for sustainable collaboration of cross-‐strait city exchanges.
However, the new management concepts may initates the local government to actively expand its interests, but not braggering the role of local government on the both side.
While the central government should open the channel for the locals, especially the
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dispute of Six-‐cities in Taiwan has caused great challenges for domestic city governance in order to avoid intergovernmental tension on the topic of cross-‐strait city exchanges.