Chinese unification in the context of "Cross-strait relations"

"One country, two systems" is a constitutional principle of the People's Republic of China (PRC) describing the governance of the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau.

Deng Xiaoping developed the one country, two systems concept. This constitutional principle was formulated in the early 1980s during negotiations over Hong Kong between China and the United Kingdom. It provided that there would be only one China, but that each region would retain its own economic and administrative system. Under the principle, each of the two regions could continue to have its own governmental system, legal, economic and financial affairs, including trade relations with foreign countries, all of which are independent from those of the mainland. The PRC has also proposed to apply the principle in the unification it aims for with Taiwan.

The Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China are the revisions and amendments to the original constitution of the Republic of China to "meet the requisites of the nation prior to national unification", taking into account the democratic reforms and current political status of Taiwan. The Additional Articles are usually attached after the original constitution as a separate document. It also has its own preamble and article ordering different from the original constitution.

The Additional Articles has been part of the fundamental law of the present government of the Republic of China on Taiwan since 1991, and were last amended in 2005. The Additional Articles will sunset in the event the Republic of China regains control of the Mainland Area.

Cross-strait relations (sometimes called Mainland–Taiwan relations, China–Taiwan relations, or PRC–ROC relations) are the political and economic relations between China (officially the People's Republic of China, or PRC) and Taiwan (officially the Republic of China, or ROC) across the Taiwan Strait. Due to the existing controversy over the status of Taiwan and the Chinese legitimacy question, they are also not defined as diplomatic relations by either side.

The relationship has been complex and controversial due to the dispute regarding the political status of Taiwan after the island's administration was transferred from Japan to the Republic of China in 1945, and the split between the PRC and ROC in 1949 as a result of the ROC's retreat to the island after losing the Chinese Civil War. The essential questions are whether the two governments are still in a state of civil war over One China, each holding one of two "regions" or parts of the same country (i.e. "one nation, two states"); whether they can be unified under a "one country, two systems" framework; or whether they are now separate countries (either as Two Chinas, or as "one China, one Taiwan"). The English expression "cross-strait relations" is considered to be a neutral term that avoids reference to the political status of either side.

The One China principle is the official position of the People's Republic of China (PRC) on the political status of Taiwan and cross-strait relations. The standard statement of the Government of the People's Republic of China on the One China Principle is as follows:

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the government of the People's Republic of China pursue Chinese unification based on this principle and have established it as a national policy through the CCP constitution, state constitution and the 2005 Anti-Secession Law. Guided by the principle, the government of the PRC opposes the Republic of China (Taiwan) from developing diplomatic relations with other countries in the world, or any relations of a state-to-state nature, and opposes Taiwan from participating in the United Nations system and other intergovernmental international organizations. It requires that Taiwan can only participate in non-governmental international organizations under names that do not carry national characteristics, such as "Chinese Taipei" or "Taiwan, China".