Equivocation in ‘Reunification’ for Taiwan and Mainland China

In human communication, sending an unclear message is often regarded as failure or impoliteness. Nevertheless, it is not always the case that those who make explicit statements are the most successful communicators. Equivocal communication is widely employed by modern politicians, and it can also be possible to extend its scope further, to communication between nations. In this book, Bavelas et al.''s theory of equivocation is applied to analyze nine public texts (1979 – 2000) concerning the discussion of national reunification between Taiwan and Mainland China as their political communication is not normally conducted clearly and directly. A comparison will also be made between western societies and eastern societies to explore their different attitudes towards equivocation. The analysis should be especially useful to professionals in Communications and Social Psychology fields, or anyone else who may be considering utilizing ambiguity strategies for political diplomacy.