The good news of the Taiwan-China security relationship is that both sides exist in an uneasy equilibrium with each other. Neither country has the capability to invade and control the other's territory. Each seems to recognize this delicate balance. While promising, however, the cross-straits dialogue is relatively new, and may easily be disrupted by disagreements on security or political issues such as Taiwan's latest initiative. And there is more bad news than good.
China maintains the nuclear weapons capability to destroy Taiwan.
Each side still spends considerable human and monetary resources on military forces designed to deter or blunt attack. Neither side seems to have the political will or inclination to come to any final accommodation. Most important, counterproductive military actions and policies continue to dominate the security side of the relationship. Especially in the 1990s, the Taiwanese government has tried to meet its perceived security needs through weapons transfers and increased defense budgets. Yet each move has been countered by China, seemingly with relative ease.