Nationalism and trade liberalization in Quebec and Taiwan

Globalization and trade liberalization are modifying the organizational and political context in which nationalism enhances regional and sub-regional identities. In Quebec, nationalists have exploited the liberalization of free trade in North America to strengthen the case for independence. In Taiwan, the opening of trade with the mainland and Southeast Asia has challenged nationalists to search for an acceptable political discourse that recognizes and accommodates regional autonomy while respecting constitutional guarantees. In both territories, therefore, political, business and intellectual elites have used trade liberalization to shape nationalist agendas and enhance autonomy. At the same time, trade liberalization also has served to weaken the case for nationalism because it strengthens economic ties between the two territories and the respective nation states of which they are a part. Hence, the relationship between nationalism and trade liberalization is a double-edged sword. It gives scope to nationalist aspirations while moderating the outcome. As a consequence, while trade liberalization seems to provide a platform for Quebec to transcend the status quo, it is more likely in the case of Taiwan to maintain it.