It is not clear that China is taking much notice of American appeals, although once the election is over, the campaign posturing on all sides will cease and all the governments will have to deal with the new situation and the new leader here. For the Chinese government, though, Taiwan is a visceral emotional issue. And no Chinese leader for domestic political reasons in the mainland can afford to be seen as soft on Taiwan. Once a new president is elected, however, we will have to see whether Beijing, having laid down some clear markers in its bellicose rhetoric of recent weeks, will adopt a more pragmatic policy. But I don't think it has anything to do with the American presidential election.
China sees Taiwan slipping further and further away.
And it also sees that opinion here is increasingly in favor of maintaining Taiwan's separate identity. Beijing fears that if there is no movement toward reunification in the near or medium term, there may never be. In addition, Chinese president Jiang Zemin is widely believed to want to secure his place in history as the man who reunified Taiwan in his lifetime. In addition, the Chinese military sees the Taiwan issue as a way to strengthen its own power and boost its budget and modernization program. All these factors contribute to China's impatience.