Developmentalism and Pan-Functionalism in Mainland China's Economic Policy toward Taiwan, 1988–2018*

How has mainland China promoted a large number of economic policy to facilitate the cross–Taiwan Strait economic integration in the past decades? This question informs some critical political-economic ways of thinking that have driven the Taiwan-related policy-making process in the mainland, which nevertheless has not been adequately explained. Based on interviews with policy actors and business people, this paper explores the evolution of the economic policy by empirically identifying two political-economic logics: developmentalism in the policy's economic components and pan-functionalism in its political intentions. Consequently, we are able to discern the driving force behind the unidirectional "integrated development" since 2018, which has evolved from the symbiotic status of developmentalism and pan-functionalism to a strengthened functionalism with developmentalist color fading. This paper not only reveals the driving mechanisms of cross-Strait economic integration from a political-economic perspective but also furthers the discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of Taiwan-related economic policy with a focus on the mainland side.