Beijing has expressed support for a “one country, two systems” reunification proposal put forward by a Taiwanese academic, marking a rare official endorsement on a topic that remains politically sensitive on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Chen Binhua, spokesman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, praised the proposal last week, noting an increasing willingness among some Taiwanese individuals to engage with reunification discussions and to consider the specifics of a one country, two systems framework for Taiwan. Chen’s remarks referred to a detailed plan submitted in late August by Li Ci-za, an associate professor at Taiwan’s National Chunghwa University of Education, to a mainland social media platform that focuses on cross-strait issues.

While Beijing has long called for reunification with Taiwan under the one country, two systems model, it has not provided detailed governance arrangements for the island in this context. In 2019, President Xi Jinping urged explorations of such a plan, which sparked debate among mainland scholars and media, but was met with lukewarm or outright opposition from mainstream Taiwanese politicians.

Li’s proposal outlined that after peaceful reunification, Taiwan would retain its system of direct elections for its top executive and legislative bodies, as well as preserve opposition parties. He also suggested that, during an initial transitional period, mainland China should refrain from permanently stationing troops on the island. In exchange, Taiwan would commit to not joining foreign military alliances or deploying long-range weapons capable of threatening the mainland.

The plan further indicated that Taiwan could maintain an independent judiciary with final adjudication authority and keep its own monetary system. However, Li acknowledged a fundamental challenge: skepticism within Taiwanese society regarding Beijing’s ability to uphold its commitments under a one country, two systems arrangement. He pointed to the experience in Hong Kong as a cautionary example, stressing that institutional safeguards would be necessary to prevent unilateral changes by Beijing.

Zhang Wensheng, deputy dean of Xiamen University’s Taiwan Research Institute, noted that such detailed discussions on one country, two systems for Taiwan are uncommon but welcomed by Beijing when grounded in the one-China principle. Zhang highlighted that prior proposals by mainland academics share many similarities with Li’s plan, emphasizing flexible negotiation while maintaining the goal of eventual reunification. He also commented that public discourse on these issues could help reduce misunderstandings within Taiwanese society, where concerns about the model are widespread.

A 2024 survey by Taiwanese authorities found that over 85 percent of respondents opposed the one country, two systems concept. Opposition to the plan is bipartisan, with even the main opposition Kuomintang party, known for a more Beijing-friendly stance, rejecting the idea and advocating to maintain the current status quo.

Beijing consistently asserts that Taiwan is a part of China and reserves the right to use force if necessary to achieve reunification. Meanwhile, most countries, including the United States, do not formally recognize Taiwan as independent but oppose any unilateral changes by force and continue to support Taiwan with defensive arms. Zhang cautioned that reunification by force would likely result in significantly reduced autonomy for Taiwan, a scenario Beijing’s closest advisers have also acknowledged.