Taiwan Straits Crisis

Case: The 1996 Taiwan Straits Crisis

Assignment Questions:

What motivated Taiwan’s President Lee to make such a provocative speech at Cornell?

Why did Chinese President Jiang Zemin respond the way he did?

Why did U.S. President Bill Clinton respond the way he did?

Why were the three players able to avoid war over this issue?

……………………….Answer preview……………………..

Taiwan’s president Lee Teng-hui made a provocative speech at Cornell University. The speech was on “Taiwan’s Democratization Experience”. The speech was motivated by his experience in United State. In 1994, which was a year earlier, president’s Lee plane stopped in Honolulu to refuel it after his trip to South America? Bill Clinton, who was the president of the United State refused Lee’s request for a visa…………………….