Taiwan Island and Sister Cities Paradipl PDF

Taiwan Island and sister cities
paradiplomacy
A draft research proposal for a Masters in

International Communications, Unitec Institute
of Technology
Roger S Matthews
13th June 2013
CONTENTS
ABSTRACT ..............................................................................................................................................4
OUTLINE OF THE RESEARCH PROJECT .....................................................................................................5
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................ 5
UNIT OF ANALYSIS ......................................................................................................................................... 6
RATIONALE AND PURPOSE .............................................................................................................................. 6
RESEARCH QUESTION..................................................................................................................................... 8
OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS............................................................................................................................. 8
Paradiplomacy ......................................................................................................................... 8
Sister cities ............................................................................................................................... 9
Friendship cities ....................................................................................................................... 9
City-to-city relationships .......................................................................................................... 9
People’s Republic of China ...................................................................................................... 9
Republic of China ..................................................................................................................... 9
Taiwan Island ......................................................................................................................... 10
Western countries ................................................................................................................... 10
HISTORICAL AND POLITICAL BACKGROUND ......................................................................................... 11
A HISTORY OF TAIWAN................................................................................................................................. 11
PARADIPLOMACY ........................................................................................................................................ 13
THE SISTER CITIES MOVEMENT ....................................................................................................................... 15
METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................................... 17
OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................................................ 17
OVERALL OBJECTIVE .................................................................................................................................... 17
SPECIFIC AIMS ............................................................................................................................................ 18
RESEARCH METHODS AND DATA COLLECTION ..................................................................................... 19
OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................................................ 19
SELECTION OF C2C CITIES TO BE EXAMINED...................................................................................................... 19
STEP ONE - QUESTIONNAIRE .......................................................................................................................... 19
STEP TWO – CASE STUDIES ............................................................................................................................ 20
INTERVIEWS ............................................................................................................................................... 21
DATA MANAGEMENT .................................................................................................................................. 22
ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS................................................................................................................... 23
OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................................................ 23
BIAS ......................................................................................................................................................... 23
Comm 8177 Page 2 of 38 R. Matthews

INFORMATION AND RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS.................................................................................................... 24
APPROVAL................................................................................................................................................. 24
TIMEFRAMES ....................................................................................................................................... 25
RESOURCES .......................................................................................................................................... 26
CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................................ 27
FURTHER RESEARCH .................................................................................................................................... 27
REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................................... 28
APPENDICES ......................................................................................................................................... 33
APPENDIX 1: SELECTED CITIES WITH LINKS TO TAIWANESE CITIES .......................................................................... 33

APPENDIX 2: QUESTIONNAIRE OUTLINE........................................................................................................... 35
APPENDIX 3: SUCCESS FACTORS FOR C2C RELATIONSHIPS ................................................................................... 37

The sister city model envisaged by U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower in his 1956 “People-to-
People Program” (Sister Cities International (SCI) undated) has been subject to minimal
research. Even less research has been directed at sister city relationships linking into global
conflict zones, despite the original programme’s cultural understanding and peace-making
focus. Therefore this study will attempt to examine inter-city paradiplomacy linking into one
such global conflict zones.
The question - “how have cross Taiwan Strait issues affected western cities’ paradiplomatic
relationships with Taiwanese cities?” seeks to investigate city-to-city (C2C) relationships
formed according to the sister city model, by cities from English-speaking Western countries
with cities in this area of ‘on-going geopolitical conflict’. This study will seek to determine if
there is any evidence for peace dividends, such as those envisaged by the acknowledged
Sister Cities founder, US President Dwight Eisenhower (SCI, undated). The research may also
offer potential lessons for cities proposing to enter into or managing similar relationships.

Introduction
Since the 1960s, the development of C2C links around the world has added to diplomatic
discourse at the local level (O’Toole, 2001). The formation of these links has been intended
to support social, cultural, economic and political exchange and understanding, but in
accordance with Eisenhower’s original aim, they are also formed in an attempt to build
international peace and understanding under conditions of on-going geopolitical conflict
(Lloyd, 2010; SCI, undated).
Lloyd (2010) investigated the practical difficulties and limitations of C2C relationships for
global peace building by looking at the experience of links between Australia and the United
States with cities in Palestine. This work choose a region where the conflict was cultural,
religious, economic, and historic, as well as political in nature, and Lloyd found that the
conflicts in the Palestinian partner city tended to become mirrored in their own, and that the
C2C links “engendered acrimonious divisions within their municipalities and ambiguities in
their obligations to their citizens” (Lloyd, ibid).
By contrast the conflict across the Taiwan Strait is principally political in nature, with few
cultural or religious origins; in addition it is a recent dispute arising from the unresolved
conflict between the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party in the late 1940s
(Bush, 2013). This study will therefore investigate the degree to which the practical
difficulties in establishing and maintaining such links observed by Lloyd are present, and if
there is any evidence to support the existence of peace dividends arising from C2C links with
cities on Taiwan Island.
This will be done by firstly using quantitative research methods and questionnaire data
sourced from selected English-speaking Western cities with C2C links to cities on Taiwan
Island. Secondly, qualitative methods will be used to examine city-pair case studies
identified through the analysis of the questionnaire data.

At this initial stage it is known that sufficient information exists for at least two possible case
studies – Irvine, California with Taoyuan City, and North Shore City, New Zealand with
Taichung. In addition to their links with cities on Taiwan Island, both of these cities have, or
have tried to establish C2C links with cities in Mainland China.
Unit of analysis
In this study it is proposed that the unit of analysis will be those C2C relationships with cities
on Taiwan Island that are recognised and recorded by Sister Cities International and its
affiliates, Sister Cities Australia and Sister Cities New Zealand. This decision has been made
firstly because these relationships have a similar cultural and historical basis, and they are
underpinned by similar objectives. Secondly this unit of analysis is chosen for practical
reasons because the data will be more readily available from these cities than from African,
South American, European or Asian cities, and the data will be available in English. This was
also the selection (United States and Australasia) used by Lloyd (2010) and this will allow the
results of the two studies to be more easily compared.
The list of these selected cities, as formally acknowledged by these organisations, is given in
Appendix 1.
Rationale and purpose
Between 2003 and 2010, while working as Economic Development Manager at North Shore
City Council (NSCC) I was responsible, amongst other matters, for the City’s portfolio of
international C2C relationships. At the start of this period there was only one formal sister
city relationship and it was with Taichung City on Taiwan Island. I was aware of the
controversy that arose when this relationship was established (1996), and I understood the
sensitivity of, and potential for, conflict between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and
the Republic of China – Taiwan (ROC) that NSCC could be drawn into.

Shortly after taking on my role at the NSCC (in 2003), the Council was informally approached
by the Auckland office of the PRC Consulate and asked to consider forming a relationship
with a city in Mainland China. I took responsibility for managing this process that finally
concluded with the signing of an agreement with Qingdao in Shandong Province on
9th August 2008. During this period an active relationship was maintained with Taichung.
During this work I became interested in the political and practical considerations that were
required if two active C2C relationships were to be successfully maintained, one with a city
in Mainland China and one with a city on Taiwan Island.
There have been a number of recent studies of Western - Mainland China C2C relationships
(Matthews, et. al., 2006; Carruthers, 2006; Chung & Mascitelli, 2008; Cross, 2010; Leffel,
2010; and Lipscombe, 2007, amongst others), but few have looked (except in passing) at
Western – Taiwan Island city relationships (Lloyd, 2010). Having a relationship with a city or
community on the Island of Taiwan is problematic for two reasons, firstly there is the on-
going political conflict between the ROC and the PRC following on from the unresolved civil
war in the late 1940s, and secondly, since 1971 ROC has not been recognised by the United
Nations as a sovereign state. This has been, and continues to be, a fight about which
government – the PRC with its seat in Beijing or the ROC with its capital in Taipei – is the sole
legitimate representative of China in the world (Winkler, 2012). In this debate the United
Nations has taken sides and states that: “[i]n accordance with [General Assembly Resolution
2758], the United Nations considers Taiwan for all purposes to be an integral part of the
People’s Republic of China” (in Winkler, ibid).
These C2C relationships are potentially more problematic when the non-Chinese city has
engaged in a triangular relationship with cities on both the Chinese Mainland and the Island
of Taiwan (Lloyd, 2010). Contained within the political rhetoric and international
communications that comes out of these triangular relationships there are a number of
interesting research questions that are of relevance to the sister cities movement and its
founding principles. Given the debate around the movement’s focus on either cultural
exchange and friendship, or economic development it will be interesting to determine what

has been the outcome of these relationships, and in particular, is there any evidence for the
existence, or otherwise, of an Eisenhower-imagined peace dividend?
Research question
The primary question that this research seeks to answer is:
“How have cross Taiwan Strait issues affected western cities’

paradiplomatic relationships with Taiwanese cities?”
In the course of this work the following sub-questions will be addressed:
What have been the experiences of cities that have established C2C links with
cities on Taiwan Island?
What outcomes have been achieved from these paradiplomatic relationships?
What does this experience tell us about the practical limitations of C2C
relationships in areas of conflict?, and,
To what extent, if any, have these C2C relationships contributed to building

international peace and understanding?
Finally the examination of C2C links with an area that is subject to geopolitical conflict may
give clues to potential success factors for C2C relationships more generally.
Operational definitions
Paradiplomacy
“Subnational governmental involvement in international relations, through the

establishment of formal and informal permanent or ad hoc contacts, with foreign public or
private entities, with the aim to promote socioeconomic or political issues, as well as any
other foreign dimension of their own constitutional competences.” (Cornago, 2000, Page 2)

Sister cities
Sister city relationships are those formal paradiplomatic city-to-city relationships recognised
by SCI and its international affiliates (SCI, undated).
Friendship cities
Friendship city relationships are either, less formal paradiplomatic city-to-city relationships,
or a first stage in a city-to-city relationship prior to formal agreement of a sister city link.
Friendship city links are also recognised by SCI and its international affiliates (SCI, undated).
City-to-city relationships
C2C relationships include both sister and friendship city relationships recognised by SCI and
its international affiliates.
People’s Republic of China
For the purpose of this study the shorthand PRC is taken to refer only to the mainland of
China (including Hainan Island). No judgement of any kind is made on the status or validity
of any territorial claims1.
Republic of China
For the purpose of this study, except where it is indicated, the shorthand ROC is taken to
refer only to the Island of Taiwan. No judgement of any kind is made on the status or
validity of any territorial claims.
1 th
Note: United Nations Resolution 2758, passed in 25 October, 1971, that recognised the PRC as "the
only legitimate representative of China to the United Nations" and expelled "the representatives of
Chiang Kai-shek from the place which they unlawfully occupy at the United Nations”, is recognised as
present New Zealand government policy.

Taiwan Island
The term Taiwan Island is a geographic description and its use in this discussion attempts to
avoid suggesting any judgement on the status or validity of any political or territorial claims.
Western countries
There is debate and ambiguity over which countries are included within the group of
‘Western nations’ and therefore use of this term is avoided wherever possible.
The term originally comes from those countries that were literally to the west of Asia, the
line often taken as being the Bosporus Strait and Istanbul that share liberal democratic
governments linked to a Greco-Roman tradition. In recent times this definition has
broadened and is now more of a socio-economic, political and cultural definition than it is
geographic, and its political usage was temporarily informed by mutual antagonism with the
Soviet bloc during the Cold War in the mid to late 20 th Century (Thompson & Hickey, 2005).
The Oxford Dictionary On-line (undated) defines the West as including the non-Communist
states of Europe and North America, while the Urban Dictionary On-line (undated) widens
this definition to also include Australasia. Other definitions include South and Central
America and South Africa reflecting their colonial origins and religions (Thompson & Hickey,
ibid).
In this study, where it is used, the term ‘Western Countries’ will be used to refer to North
America, English-speaking Europe and Australasia.

At the commencement of this study there are three sub-questions looking at the historical
context that need to be addressed in order to understand the background of the conflict and
the nature of this model of C2C paradiplomacy:
What is the history of Taiwan or Republic of China (ROC), the People’s Republic
of China and the Taiwan Strait;
What is paradiplomacy and what does it seek to achieve; and,
What is the history and experience of paradiplomatic sister city relationships

generally.
A history of Taiwan
In the early 20th century, following mass civil disorder and Palace intrigues the Qing Dynasty
(1644 to 1912) fell following a military coup. This coup led to the creation of the new central
government, the Republic of China, centred in Nanjing with Sun Yat-sen as its provisional
head, albeit briefly, as the presidency was actually given to Yuan Shi-kai, a former Qing
general, who had ensured the defection of the Imperial Army from the Qing Empire to the
revolution. Disputes with warlords and the military and an economic recession in the North
led to increasing conflict and Sun and his party the Kuomintang (KMT), had to flee Nanjing to
set up a rival government, usually referred to as Nationalist China, in the Southern city of
Guangzhou (Denny, 2003). In 1928, Chiang Kai-shek, who became KMT leader after Sun's
death, defeated the warlord armies of the North and once again established a unified
government in Nanjing after expelling the Chinese communists from the KMT. Nation
building took a backseat to the war with Japan in 1937 – 1945, but with the expulsion of the
Japanese conflict resumed between the nationalists of the KMT, warlords and the Chinese
Communist Party led by Mao Tse-tung (ibid).
With the victory of Mao’s military forces on Mainland China and the establishment of the
People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1949, the remnants of the KMT government of ROC led

by Chiang Kai-shek, fled to the Island of Taiwan off the south China coast. For the next fifty
years, till the present day, both regimes have claimed legitimacy as the sole legal
government of the Chinese people. Chiang Kai-shek established a temporary capital for his
government in Taipei, Taiwan, declaring that the ROC was still the legitimate Chinese
government-in-exile and vowing that one day he would “retake the mainland” and drive out
communist forces (Dumbaugh, 2009). The United States initially appeared reluctant to
support the ROC’s claim of legitimacy, and there is evidence that President Harry Truman
was prepared recognise Mao’s PRC regime as the legitimate government of all China.
However that position quickly evaporated with communist North Korea’s surprise invasion
of South Korea in June 1950 (Bush, 2013).
It was not until 1971, that the number of countries recognising the PRC surpassed those
recognising the ROC in Taipei as the official government of China, this ‘watershed’ cleared
the way for the PRC to replace the ROC in the United Nations, and take a seat as a
permanent member of the Security Council.
Therefore the prevailing political situation is ambiguous and depending upon the identity
and belief of the speaker, various names are used for the geographical area known as
Taiwan Island – Chinese Taipei, Taiwan, Taiwan Province or the ROC – but it is important to
realise that both the PRC and the ROC continue to claim Taiwan Island as a province of China
and maintain that ‘they’ are the sole legitimate government. It also should be noted that a
theoretical unresolved state of civil war continues to exist up until the present day.
This political situation lasted in a fairly stable fashion from 1949 until 2000 with the Island of
Taiwan governed by the KMT Party of the ROC, most of this time as a one party state.
However in 2000 the KMT lost the presidency with the election of Chen Shui-bian of the
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The KMT suffered a further loss in the 2001 elections
and the DPP became the largest party in the Legislative Yuan for the first time in 2002. This
was important for international relations because while the KMT have always held a one
China policy that is acceptable to, if not disputed by, the PRC, the DPP advocated Taiwanese
independence. This position was unacceptable to the communist government in Beijing
(Romberg, 2006). This change in the ruling party in Taiwan led to a period of greatly
heightened tension across the Taiwan Strait, culminating in a September 2007 resolution
asserting a separate identity from Mainland China and calling for the enactment of a new
constitution for a ‘normal nation’ (ibid). In the national elections held in early months of
2008 the DPP suffered a substantial defeat and the KMT government returned (Romberg,
2009; Bush, 2013). The installation of the KMT government of President Ma led to an
immediate calming of cross strait rhetoric and tension (Jiang, 2009; Romberg, 2012).
This period of heightened tension and conflict (2000-2008) will form the main focus of this
investigation of city-to-city paradiplomacy.
Paradiplomacy
Before the development of ubiquitous and cheap communications, considerable

international engagement between federal states and cities was common right through till
the mid-nineteenth century (Kincade, 1999). However the exercise of such international
competencies fell largely dormant during the late nineteenth century until the 1950s
following two world wars, when local and federal international competencies began to be
resurrected in response to rapid social change, economic necessity and desires for peace
(ibid). This relationship building and interaction generally occurred outside of the national
legal framework that guides central government ‘diplomacy’, relying instead on relationship,
custom, political practice and interagency comity. In this way, engagement has been
allowed to develop, as its typical informality does not threaten the nation states (ibid) and
has allowed forms of paradiplomacy to offer opportunities to reduce ethnic and cultural
tensions, environmental problems and migration issues (Cornago, 1999 & 2000; Kern, 2010).
The use of the term ‘paradiplomacy’ is relatively recent; but in a short time its use has
become almost over-used in the academic literature (Aguirre, 1999). The first recorded use
of the term is by Ivo Ducháček in 1986 (ibid). Ducháček (1986) wrote:
“The various initiatives taken by non-central governments on the international scene
have so far assumed four distinct yet interconnected forms: (1) trans-border regional

microdiplomacy, (2) trans-regional microdiplomacy, (3) global paradiplomacy, and (4)
protodiplomacy.” (p. 240)
And:
“Global paradiplomacy consists of political contacts with distant nations that bring
non-central governments into contact not only with trade, industrial, or cultural centres
on other continents… but also with the various branches or agencies of foreign national
governments.” (p. 247)
Aguirre (1999) takes a genealogical approach to examining the development, definitions and
usage of this term and concludes that while it is still ambiguous; its meaning is being
enriched by the situations and issues in which it is being used. He accepts that Ducháček’s
definition is still the most common definition centring as it does on non-central government
(NCG) institutions engaging socially, culturally, economically and politically. However, he
goes on to argue that as today’s ‘diplomacy’ revolves around the development of, and access
to, international networks, the smaller and more efficient NGCs may well be flat-footing
central governments’ attempts to maintain a monopoly of ‘diplomatic’ sovereign relations.
As such he suggests that ‘post-diplomatic’ may be a better term for what is now developing.
Cornago (2000) takes a global view of the development of sub-national relationship and
focuses on non-USA and non-European initiatives and developments. One region that he
discusses is the Asia-Pacific region where he looks at the concerted move to sub-national
relationship building by the Chinese in the early 1990s. After the Tiananmen crisis, the
Chinese government adopted a new (for them) strategy that sought to elude international
isolation by the development C2C contacts at a time when Beijing was less than popular on
the world stage (ibid). In this discussion, Cornago defines paradiplomacy more specifically,
as:
“Subnational governmental involvement in international relations, through the
establishment of formal and informal permanent or ad hoc contacts, with foreign
public or private entities, with the aim to promote socioeconomic or political issues, as
well as any other foreign dimension of their own constitutional competences.” (Page 2)

In Cornago’s 2010 re-examination of this trend to sub-national relationship building he
comes to similar conclusions to Aguirre (1999), that the literature on sub-state diplomacy
has neither attracted mainstream attention in diplomatic studies, nor in the field of
international relations, but that it has become the subject of intense scholarly debate,
particularly in relation to European and North American examples and separatist
movements (Criekemans, 2008).
While the academic focus on paradiplomacy has been mainly on regional and federal state
linkages, cities and local communities have been busy engaging in developing their own
links. However, notwithstanding the popularity of practice of C2C, twinning and sister city
linkages, very little research is available globally, either on outcomes, or to assist prospective
twin cities with the development of an effective strategy and partnership arrangement (De
Villiers, 2005 and 2009; De Villiers et al, 2006 and 2008). De Villiers’s work investigated the
history and experience of C2C and twinning as strategic alliances between communities,
looking both at the literature on such strategic alliances and it reports on a survey conducted
among South African municipalities in order to develop recommendations for successful
relationships. It is clear that C2C cooperation is a growing global phenomenon that can
make a major contribution at the local and regional level to learning, economic development
and social development, but its success can only be assured by the manner in which it is
managed into the future (ibid).
The sister cities movement
The history of the sister cities movement began in 1956 with the ‘People-to-People Program’
inaugurated by U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower, ostensibly as part of the then-U.S.
Administration’s Cold War strategy and the optimistic principle that if cities and
communities were ‘friends’, it would make it harder for countries to attack each other.
Sister Cities International’s (SCI), the organisation that developed from this initiative, aims
are to: ‘increase global cooperation through long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships at
the local level. It works to motivate and empower private citizens, municipal officials and
business leaders and awaken them to the advantages – and increasingly, the necessity – of

being internationally engaged’ (SCI, undated). The organisation now represents more than
2,500 communities in 134 countries around the world.
Both the American-based SCI and its overseas affiliates have in recent years experienced a
double shift in the nature of sister-city relationships: from cultural to commercial, and from
the Atlantic to the Pacific (Lipscombe, 2007). In a move away from the Christian and liberal
interest in ‘doing good’ and promoting peace which underpins the Eisenhower initiative,
issues of commerce and economic development are now ascendant and are forming the
core of many sister-city agendas, although there is also an argument for an integrated
approach to commercial and cultural interactions as being the most beneficial for all parties
and all objectives in the long term, particularly when dealing with Asian cultures (ibid).
Thus despite the original cultural and peace-making focus of SCI, most modern links now
focus on economic development as a the major objective of sister cities, and this is
incorporated into most if not all agreements to which New Zealand local authorities are
party. While this is only one of several objectives that enclose a fully rounded sister city
relationship, its inclusion is justified in the New Zealand context given the public investment
required to achieve sister city success (Cross, 2010). This focus on economic development is
steadily increasing, as stated by Smith and Ballingall (2003), “the change (to more emphasis
on economic development) has occurred relatively recently in New Zealand, and thus the
business links that have occurred as a result of sister city relationships remain relatively
young. However the role (and subsequent economic pay-offs) of relationships acting as
catalysts to developing business linkages is likely to increase over the next decade”. Political
reality creates a tendency for society to elevate the economic development component of
sister cities at the cost of other, ‘softer’ objectives and this potentially damages prospects
for the very sought-after return, due to expediency and poor appreciation of the mutual
benefit philosophies of the movement.
In spite of their near-ubiquitous international urban presence, however, this significant form
of inter-municipal cooperation remains under-researched and under-theorised across all
academic disciplines (O’Toole, 2000; Cremer, Bruin and Dupuis, 2001; Mascitelli & Chung,
2008).
Overview
As discussed, the sister city model in general has been subject to minimal research (Lloyd,
2010; O’Toole, 2000) and there is no available research specifically on Western-Taiwan
Island C2C links or community based paradiplomacy spanning the Taiwan Strait.
What research that does exist on C2C relationships generally has typically been based on
interviews, questionnaires and case studies. Therefore this approach will be followed in
order to answer this research question. Specifically a mixed research methodology using a
two-step process will be used. In the first instance the various C2C relationships will be
characterised by analysis of a questionnaire based survey that is intended to lead to the
identification of case studies. Then, as step two, those case studies will be examined in
more detail.
Overall Objective
In the first instance, it is proposed that the English-speaking Western cities with Taiwan
Island C2C relationships (Appendix 1) will be surveyed to determine how and why these links
came to be made, how active they are, and how many political issues or problems they have
had. In addition, these English-speaking Western cities will be asked if they have a similar
relationship with a city in the Chinese Mainland. The responses received from
questionnaires will be analysed quantitatively in order to gain insights into the success or
otherwise of C2C links in areas of political conflict.
From the results of the initial surveys, follow up surveys and/or case studies will be sought
and examined to see if there is any evidence for peace dividends through paradiplomacy of
the form envisaged by President Eisenhower (SCI, undated). In addition, if they do have a
triangular relationship they will be looked at more closely in order to determine what other
particular issues this may have brought about.

Specific aims
Is there evidence for potential peace dividends arising from C2C relationships in
areas of geopolitical conflict?
How does the experience of C2C links with cities on Taiwan Island compare with
that found by Lloyd (2010) for C2C links with the Palestinian Territories?
Are there any lessons that can be learned for the successful establishment and
management of C2C links in areas of conflict, in this case, around the Taiwan
Strait?

Overview
It is intended to take a two-step, mixed method approach to this question using

questionnaires analysed quantitatively for all of the sample cities, and qualitative analysis of
media reports, city council records, and interviews for the case studies.
Selection of C2C cities to be examined
For this study it is proposed that the investigation be limited to those relationships
recognised by Sister Cities International and its affiliates Sister Cities Australia and Sister
Cities New Zealand as these relationships are based on a common set of principles and have
similar objectives. In addition these cities are selected on the basis of the likely availability
of data, and getting that data in English. The list of these cities as formally acknowledged by
these organisations is given in Appendix 1 and these will form the sample for this study. The
list of cities with C2C links with cities on Taiwan Island includes:
United States 47 cities
Australia 5 cities
Canada 2 cities
New Zealand 1 cities
Step one - questionnaire
In step one, the C2C subject relationships will be characterised by a questionnaire based
survey sent to the western city partners (Appendix 2). The survey will be constructed as far
as is possible to avoid questioning bias while seeking to collect the information necessary to
address the research question.

The email addresses for sister city coordinators for most of the subject cities are available
through Sister Cities International and its affiliates Sister Cities Australia and Sister Cities
New Zealand. Where these contact details are not known, the contact details for the
respective Mayor will be used. These details are generally available both through the Sister
Cities organisations and on the respective city webpages.
The questionnaire will be provided in three ways: a form that can be filled in and returned, a
hard copy document that printed and filled in and then either scanned and emailed, faxed or
posted back, and a web-based questionnaire that can be filled in on-line. These three
options will be offered in order to maximise response rates.
The data obtained will then be analysed quantitatively (statistically) and qualitatively using
textural analysis of the free form answers given. The data will also be compared to
previously reported C2C success factors (Appendix 3) (De Villiers, 2005 & 2009; De Villiers et.
al., 2006). On the basis of this analysis, case studies will be selected for further research and
analysis.
Step two – case studies
The primary consideration in the selection of case studies will be the availability and amount
of data. At this initial stage it is known that sufficient information exists for at least two
possible case studies – Irvine, California - Taoyuan City, Taiwan, and NSCC, New Zealand –
Taichung, Taiwan. The secondary consideration will be to select a range of case studies that
demonstrate the range or issues and outcomes across the whole city sample set.
The initial case study information will come from the completed questionnaires, and
additional information will be available in the public domain that will include:
Local and national newspaper reports;
Council reports;
Council agendas and minutes;

Video or audio records of council meetings; and,
Possible targeted questionnaires or interviews.
The Irvine-Taoyan case was briefly examined by Lloyd (2010) using local newspaper stories.
Additional information for this case is available in the form of Irvine City Council agendas,
reports and meeting minutes as well as a video record of the key council meeting. All of this
material is available on-line in the public domain.
In the NSCC-Taichung case the previous (NSCC) and present mayors (Auckland Council) are
available to be interviewed, as are the relevant previous and present staff members. Local
newspaper records are held by the North Shore Times and the NZ Herald.
Interviews
Either phone or face-to-face interviews may be used to add richness to the case study data.
In the case of the NSCC-Taichung relationship the former Mayor of North Shore (Mr. George
Wood) who developed a close personal link and rapport with the Taichung City Government,
and the present Mayor of Auckland (Mr. Len Brown), along with the Mayor of Taichung
(Dr. Jason Hu) have been informally approached and they are all (subject to availability)
willing to be interviewed. The city officials in Auckland Council and the Taichung City
Government can also be contacted reasonably easily as I have personal links with both of
these organisations.
It would be useful, but not essential, to visit Taichung and perhaps some of the other cities
on Taiwan Island identified in case studies in order to get a first-hand impression of their
attitude to, and experience with, these relationships.

An example – Benjamin Leffel (pers. com., 2013)
A number of US cities including Portland, Oregon and Columbus, Ohio maintain

sister city relationships simultaneously with Mainland Chinese cities and
Taiwanese cities.2
Portland said of cross-strait tensions between their Chinese and Taiwanese sister
cities: "A number of their board members are Chinese, and some are more pro-
Taiwan than others—while they are Chinese, they don’t fit into the typical “One
China” mind-set and have connections in both China and Taiwan acknowledging
that Taiwan and China need to resolve their differences. In a Portland Floral
Parade, and in cooperation with Kaohsiung City Government, Portland sponsors a
float representing them, and on the float they had both the American flag and
the Taiwan flag; and this is why their PRC Suzhou didn’t put a float in the parade
although they originally intended to. The city of Portland simply deals with such
issues by being politically neutral and focusing on sister cities—this is a people-to-
people thing. They sponsor many Chinese organizations (medical support,
education, and fundraising dinners). There is not really an imbalance between
Sino-Portland and Taiwan-Portland relations. Taiwan has reached into all of the
Chinese communities; they don’t have embassies but they do have cultural &
economic exchanges along the American west coast. Again, neutrality is
emphasized."3
Data Management
All collected data will be retained on a password protected computer system or in the case
of hard-copy data, a lockable filing cabinet.
2 th
Telephone interviews: Barbara Pratzner, President of Columbus Sister Cities International, 12 May, 2010; and Tom
Crowder, President of the Portland-Kaohsiung Sister City Association, December 2009.
3
Tom Crowder, Portland Sister Cities Representative, Telephone Communication, December, 2009.

Overview
The Taiwan Strait remains a zone of conflict with seemingly entrenched and un-reconcilable
political positions held by both sides. Therefore care will have to be taken in the choice of
language used throughout this work, the avoidance of bias and the protection of individuals’
reputation and confidentiality. Eight guiding ethical principles4 will be adhered to, these are:
Informed and voluntary consent;
Respect for rights and confidentiality and preservation of anonymity;
Minimisation of harm;
Cultural and social sensitivity;
Limitation of deception;
Respect for intellectual and cultural property ownership;
Avoidance of conflict of interest; and,
Research design adequacy.
Bias
The potential for bias comes from a range of directions, but principally from questioning or
analytical bias. We are all to a certain extent captured by our culture, personal and family
history and our environment and care has to be taken to avoid this colouring research.
Therefore any final questionnaires will need to be peer reviewed by a variety of people in
order to make sure that, as far as is possible, they are politically neutral. Analytical bias will
be guarded against by the use of experienced research supervisors.
4
https://docushare.unitec.ac.nz/dsweb/Get/Document-589/2010-04-19_Reserch%20Ethics%20Guidelines_v2.pdf

Information and research participants
Most of the information collected is already be in the public domain; for example, council
agendas, reports and minutes, and newspaper articles and these will be sourced and stored
electronically. Questionnaires that might uncover unpublished information will be directed
to elected officials or responsible city managers and therefore the request for and release of
information will fall within the definition of the Local Government Official Information and
Meetings Act in New Zealand and similar official information legislation in Australia and the
United States.
However the release and re-publication of some of this material may cause concern in the
different cultural and legislative environments of the ROC and PRC. Therefore whenever any
individual, be it an elected official or responsible city manager, is named or identifiable in
any way they must first be requested to give explicit permission and the opportunity to opt
out of the study.
Approval
Research will be undertaken in accordance with the Unitec Institute of technology ethics
policy and other relevant generally accepted ethical standards and processes. Before
commencing any data collection a proposal will be submitted to the Unitec Research Ethics
Committee (UREC) and all necessary approvals obtained.

Task Aug- Oct- Dec- Feb- Apr- Jun- Aug- Oct-
Sep Nov Jan Mar May Jul Sep Nov
Writing the research proposal
Approval of the research proposal
Development of the questionnaire
Approval by the UREC
Distribution of questionnaire
Follow-up on questionnaire
Literature review
Analysis of questionnaire
Selection of Case studies
Data collection on cases
Interviews
Case study analysis
Thesis first draft
Thesis second draft
Finalising thesis
Printing and binding
Submission

A variety of different resources will be required in order to undertake this research project and
to complete the Master thesis. The following table lists the required resources and the
associated costs as well as the total amount of the assumed costs. The allocated expenses are
estimates only. All expenses will be covered by the researcher.
Resources Cost (NZ$)
Computer Supplied (Unitec staff computer and personal

laptop)
Voice recorder Supplied
Phone costs Skype or equivalent where possible
Travel TBC, if required
Printing and binding (3x hardcopies) $400
If travel to Taiwan is considered an attempt will be made to seek external funding.

The proposed research project intends to examine the North American and Australasian C2C
links with cities on Taiwan Island in order to determine what the outcome of these
relationships has been. In particular the study will seek any evidence for the existence, or
otherwise, of an Eisenhower-imagined peace dividend. The results of this study will be
compared to similar work undertaken by Lloyd (2010) who examined the relationships
between North American and Australasian cities and cities in the Palestinian Territories.
It is expected that the analysis will cast light on both the success and failure of C2C
relationships, particularly in an area of conflict and suggest potential lessons to be learned
for future paradiplomatic initiatives by or on behalf of local communities.
Further research
It is anticipated that the findings from this research will suggest further work, either in the
form of follow-up research to be published elsewhere, or as topics for other students and/or
researchers to address. Potential questions could include:
Do the critical success factors identified by De Villiers (2005 & 2009; and De
Villiers et. al., 2006) for relationships between South African and international
municipalities hold for sister city relationships between New Zealand
(Australian?) and international municipalities?
Do the critical success factors identified by De Villiers for C2C relationships into
zones of conflict?
Is there a link between objectives for and outcomes from C2C relationships?
Can paradiplomatic relationships be used as an alternative to traditional

diplomacy in areas of conflict?
Does the end of the cold war spell the end for C2C paradiplomacy?

Aguirre, I. (1999). Making sense of paradiplomacy? An intertextural inquiry. In:
Paradiplomacy in action: the foreign relations of subnational government. Aldecoa, F.,
and Keating, M. (Eds). (1999). Frank Cass & Co Ltd. 223p.
Borrego, M., Douglas, E., P., and Amelink, C., T. (2009). Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed
Research Methods in Engineering Education. Journal of Engineering Education, Vol.
98(1), pp.54-61.
Brant-Zawadzki, A. (2006a). Irvine Offends Thousands of Its Citizens. The Orange County
Weekly, 18 June 2006.
(http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/2006/06/irvine_offends_thousands_of_it.php ).
Brant-Zawadzki, A. (2006b). Irvine Tells Taiwan Where to Krom It. The Orange County
(http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/2006/06/irvine_tells_taiwan_where_to_k.php ).
Bush, R., C. (2013). Uncharted strait: the future of China-Taiwan relations. The Brookings
Institute, 319p.
Carcamo, C., and Smith, S. (2006). Irvine apologizes to Taiwanese. The Orange County
Register, 28 June 2006. (http://www.ocregister.com/news/city-31866-irvine-council.html).
Carruthers, D. (2006). New Zealand and Chinese sister cities and their implications for
tourism. Master of Tourism, University of Otago, New Zealand. 188p.
Chung, M., Mascitelli, B. (2008). The role of sister city relationships in the enhancement of
trade: Latrobe City (Australia) and Taizhou (China), in GBATA 2008: Global Business and
Technology Association Tenth International Conference, Global Business and
Technology Association, New York, N.Y.
City of Irvine. (2006a). Minutes of the City of Irvine Council Meeting, 27 June 2006.
(http://www.irvinequickrecords.com/SIREPUB/mtgviewer.aspx?meetid=717&doctype=MINUTES ).
City of Irvine. (2006b). Minutes of the City of Irvine Council Meeting, 10 October 2006.
(http://www.irvinequickrecords.com/SIREPUB/mtgviewer.aspx?meetid=724&doctype=MINUTES ).
City of Irvine. (2007). Minutes of the City of Irvine Council Meeting, 11 December 2007.
(http://www.irvinequickrecords.com/SIREPUB/mtgviewer.aspx?meetid=3388&doctype=MINUTES).
Coker, M. (2009). Councilwoman Blames Own Panel for Irvine Sister City's Demise. The
Orange County Weekly, 23 January 2009. (http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/a-
clockwork-orange/councilwoman-blames-own-panel/).
Cornago, N. (1999). Diplomacy and paradiplomacy in the redefinition of international

security: Dimensions of conflict and co-operation. In: Paradiplomacy in action: the
foreign relations of subnational government. Aldecoa, F., and Keating, M. (Eds).
(1999). Frank Cass & Co Ltd. 223p.
Cornago, N. (2000). Exploring the global dimensions of paradiplomacy: Functional and

normative dynamics in the global spreading of subnational involvement in
international affairs. Workshop on Constituent Units in International Affairs Hanover,
Germany, October 2000. In: Forum of Federations, Ottawa, Canada.
Cornago, N. (2010). On the normalization of sub-state diplomacy. The Hague Journal of

Diplomacy 5 (2010) pp. 11-36.
Cremer, R., D., de Bruin, A., and Dupuis, A. (2001). International sister cities: bridging the
global-local divide. American Journal of Economics and Sociology 60, pp.377-400.
Creswell, J., W., & Plano Clark, V., L. (2006). Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods
Research. SAGE Publications, 296p.
Criekemans, D. (2008). Are the boundaries between paradiplomacy and diplomacy watering
down? Preliminary findings and hypotheses from a comparative study of some regions
with legislative power and small states. 2nd Global International Studies Conference:
“What Keeps Us Apart, What Keeps Us Together? International Order, Justice and
Value”. University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, 23-26 July 2008.
Cross, B. (2010). Sister cities and economic development: A New Zealand perspective.
Transylvanian Review of Administrative Sciences, No. 30E pp. 104-117.
Denny, R. (2003). Taiwan: A Political History. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press,
256p.
De Villiers, J., C. (2005). Strategic alliances between communities, with special reference to
the twinning of South African provinces, cities and towns with international partners.

Dissertation presented for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Business Management
and Administration) at the University of Stellenbosch. 424p.
De Villiers, J., C. (2009). Success factors and the city-to-city partnership management
process – from strategy to alliance capability. Habitat International 33, pp. 149–156.
De Villiers, J., C., de Coning, T., J., and Smit, E., V. (2006). Towards an understanding of the
success factors in international twinning and sister-city relationships. South African
Journal of Business Management, 38(1), 1–10.
De Villiers, J., C., de Coning, T., J., and Smit, E., V. (2008). Twinning and winning. USB
Leaders Lab. August 2008, pp. 16-21.
Ducháček, I., D. (1986). The territorial dimension of politics within, among, and across
nations. Westview Press. 328p.
Dumbaugh, K. (2009). Taiwan’s political status: historical background and on-going

implications. Congressional Research Service report for Congress RS22388, 12p.
Emery, S. (2009). Irvine Sister Cities Foundation throws in the towel. The Orange County
Register, 22 January 2009, (http://www.ocregister.com/news/city-132331-foundationirvine.html).
Finny, C. (2005). New Zealand Taiwan Relations – How to take the relationship forward?
Speech by Charles Finny, Chief Executive Wellington Chamber of Commerce to the
British Council, September 2005.
Jiang, M. (2009). Divided China stands: the two half Chinas alternative. Journal of Future
Studies, November 2009, 14(2), pp.41-54.
Kern, K. (2010). Climate governance in the EU multi-level system: the role of cities. Paper at
the Fifth Pan-European Conference on EU Politics, University Fernando Pessoa ` Faculty
of Economics of Porto University, Porto (Portugal), June 23-26, 2010.
Kincade, J. (1999). The international competence of US States and their local governments.
In: Paradiplomacy in action: the foreign relations of subnational government. Aldecoa,
F., and Keating, M. (Eds). (1999). Frank Cass & Co Ltd. 223p.
Krauss, S., E. (2005). Research Paradigms and Meaning Making: A Primer. The Qualitative
Report, Vol. 10(4) December 2005 pp.758-770.

Leffel, B. (2010). Sino-U.S. sister city relations: subnational networks and paradiplomacy.
MA thesis, Department of History & Political Science, Otterbein College, Ohio, USA.
Lipscombe, C. (2007). Talking to Each Other: city-to-city interactions between New Zealand
and China, and their impact on world affairs. INTP589 / 2007 MA, Extended Research
Essay, Victoria University Of Wellington.
Lloyd, B., T. (2010). Safe sisters: limitations of sister city relationships for international
peace building. Dissertation presented for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
(Sociology and Social Work), University of Tasmania. 365p.
Matthews, R., S., Murphy, K., Harris, P., and Beaman, S. (2006). Sister City relationships and
opportunities, between Chinese and New Zealand cities. A paper prepared for the
Metro Sector of Local Government New Zealand. 21p.
Moxley, R., S. (2006a). Irvine Wants Communist $$$ for the Great Park? Orange County
(http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/2006/06/irvine_wants_communist_for_the.php ).
Moxley, R., S. (2006b). Twisted Sister City, Irvine shanghais Taiwan. Orange County Weekly,
29 June 2006. (http://www.ocweekly.com/2006-06-29/news/twisted-sister-city/).
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19, pp.43-64.
O'Toole, K. 2001. Local to local: interpretations of globalisation in sister city relationships,

pp. 1-7 in Third sector and state partnerships edited by Susan Kenny, R. Melville, and
M. Wilkins. Geelong, Victoria: Deakin University.
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to cooperation 2006-2012. Volume 1: 2006-2008. Stimson Communications,
Washington D.C., pp.11-41.
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options. In: Across the Taiwan Strait: from confrontation to cooperation 2006-2012.
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Taiwan Strait: from confrontation to cooperation 2006-2012. Volume 3: 2010-2012.
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International.
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(http://publ.com/ZfOiCxy#/1/), 83p.
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Links.html.
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Smith, J., and Ballingall, J. (2003). The Economic Benefits of Sister City Relationships,
Wellington: New Zealand Institute of Economic Research, 2003.
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2007, Vo. 5(3), pp.65-72.
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Quarterly Analysis, Number 9 of 11, June 2012.

Appendix 1: Selected cities with links to Taiwanese cities
The cities and their C2C links to be studied in this research are those listed by Sister Cities
International and its affiliates Sister Cities Australia and Sister Cities New Zealand.
Gueishan Miami, Florida

Grand Prairie, Texas Pensacola, Florida
Portland, Oregon
Hsinchu San Antonio, Texas
Cupertino, California Seattle, Washington
Brisbane, Australia
Hsinchu City
Beaverton, Oregon Kaohsiung City
Cary, North Carolina Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Hualien Keelung
City Albuquerque, New Mexico Salt Lake, Utah
Bellevue, Washington
Keelung City
I-Lan Corpus Christi, Texas
Brunswick, Georgia Marrickville, NSW Australia
Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
Jungli City
Enfield, Connecticut Luchou Township
Bloomington, Indiana
Kaohsiung City
Colorado Springs, Colorado Miaoli City
Honolulu, Hawaii Bartlett, Illinois
Little Rock, Arkansas

New Taipei City Gold Coast, QA Australia
Cincinnati, Ohio
Miami Dade County, Florida Taipei City
Atlanta, Georgia
Pingtung Boston, Massachusetts
Maui, Hawaii Cleveland, Ohio
Houston, Texas
Shilin District, Taipei City Indianapolis, Indiana
Los Altos, California Los Angeles, California
Walnut, California Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Phoenix, Arizona
Taichung City San Francisco, California
Austin, Texas Gold Coast, Australia
San Diego, California Perth, Australia
Tacoma, Washington
Auckland, New Zealand Taoyuan City
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Irvine, California
Tainan City Columbus, Wuchi Town

Ohio Kansas City, Missouri Newton, Iowa
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Orlando, Florida Xindian
San Jose, California Tavares, Florida
Tainan City Hsien Yung Kang

Laredo, Texas El Monte, California
United States = 47 cities

Australia = 5 cities
Canada = 2 cities
New Zealand = 1 cities

Appendix 2: Questionnaire outline
The final questionnaire will be shaped around the following questions. It is intended that
the questions will be emailed to the C2C contact people as an attachment along with a link
to an alternative on-line questionnaire using ‘Survey Monkey’ or similar. The recipients will
then be able to choose which version they complete.
General
1. Does your city have a C2C policy or strategy?

2. How many C2C relationships does your City or community have and when were they
established?
3. What level of City Council budget is allocated to each relationship?
4. Are your C2C relationships run by the City Council or by an independent or semi-independent
community group?
5. If the relationship is run by the City Council do you have a community coordinating
committee?
6. Does the Council actively promote its C2C relationships?
Taiwan
7. Why did you choose to establish a C2C link with a city in Taiwan?
8. Did your city have any particular link or common interest with the Taiwanese city before this
relationship was established?
9. How long did it take from first meeting or interaction to arrive at an agreement?
10. How active is the relationship:
a. When did a Taiwanese city delegation last visit your city?
b. When did your city last visit Taiwan?
c. Are these visits to a schedule?
11. What form is the relationship:
a. Social?
b. Cultural?
c. Economic?
d. Educational?
e. Political?
12. During the negotiation did you have any input from your national or state Government?
13. During the negotiation did you have any input from the Government, Embassy, or Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China?

14. Did any controversy arise either during the establishment of the relationship or subsequently
before or during visits?
People’s Republic of China
15. Do you have any relationships with cities in the People’s Republic of China? Which?
16. If yes, what form is this relationship – formal/informal, sister city relationship, friendship city
relationship?
17. How active is the relationship:
a. When did a PRC city delegation last visit your city?
b. When did your city last visit PRC?
c. Are these visits to a schedule?
18. What form is the relationship:
a. Social?
b. Cultural?
c. Economic?
d. Educational?
e. Political?
Conflicts or issues
19. Has your link with a Taiwanese city caused any problems with your national or state
government?
20. Has your link with a Taiwanese city caused any problems with the Government or Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China?
21. Has you link with a Taiwanese city caused any problems with your link with a city in the
People’s Republic of China?
22. What steps, if any have you taken to avoid issues identified above?
23. Does your city have a formal position on the status of the Republic of China (Taiwan)?
24. In documents, how do you choose to refer this geographical area:
i. Republic of China
ii. Taiwan
iii. Chinese Taipei
iv. Taiwan Island
v. Taiwan Province
Case study?
25. What local media coverage has there been of your Taiwanese city link?
26. Have there been any significant issues or events that stand out from your relationships?

Appendix 3: Success factors for C2C relationships
Factors that may lead to C2C success5 Indicators used to measure the factor
1. Communities that have a C2C strategy in Existence of C2C strategy
place
2. Communities with more alliance Stable political leadership (years council in
experience office)
Number of C2C
Number of years since first C2C
3. C2C where positive attitudes are high Trust
Reciprocity
Commitment
Understanding
Cultural sensitivity
Risk
Flexibility
4. C2C where community involvement is high C2C type (is community involved?)
Community actors involved
Community awareness of the C2C
5. C2C with higher levels of contact Actors involved in communication
(exchange and communication) Frequency of communication
6. C2C with more resources and Budget
infrastructure allocated Donor-funded or not
Structural arrangements
7. C2C that followed a structured planning Existence of formal partner selection process
process (from partner selection to Existence of written business plan
business planning)
8. C2C where leadership and management Professional management available
are strong Involvement of C2C champion
9. C2C that do active marketing Marketing taking place
Level of media exposure of C2C
10. C2C where the partners have similar Possible areas of similarity like:
characteristics Religion(s)
Historical background
Key industries
Community value system
Goals for C2C
Expectations of outcomes
Commitment of management
Personalities involved
5
From De Villiers (2008), Twinning and Winning, who looked at C2C relationships held by South African
municipalities.

Factors that were shown to lead to C2C success
Factor Comment
1. C2C where positive attitudes are high The factor as a whole, but also specifically the
following indicators:
Commitment
Understanding
Cultural sensitivity
2. C2C where community involvement is high Not the factor as a whole, but only the following
indicator:
Community awareness of the twinning
3. C2C that followed a structured planning Not the factor as a whole, but only the following
process (from partner selection to indicator showed a strong influence:
business planning) Existence of written business plan
4. C2C where leadership and management
are strong
5. C2C that do active marketing This factor shows a relatively strong influence.
6. C2C where the partners have similar Not the factor as a whole, but only the following
characteristics two indicators:
Commitment of management
Personalities involved
Factors that were not shown to lead to C2C success
Factor Comment
1. Communities that have a C2C strategy in

place
2. Communities with more alliance
experience
3. C2C where positive attitudes are high Except the indicators shown above
4. C2C where community involvement is high Except the indicators shown above
5. C2C with higher levels of contact
(exchange and communication)
6. C2C with more resources and
infrastructure allocated
7. C2C that followed a structured planning Except for the need to have a business plan as an
process (from partner selection to individual indicator
business planning)
8. C2C where the partners have similar Except for the two indicators shown above
characteristics

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Taiwan Island and sister cities

A draft research proposal for a Masters in

OUTLINE OF THE RESEARCH PROJECT .....................................................................................................5

HISTORICAL AND POLITICAL BACKGROUND ......................................................................................... 11

RESEARCH METHODS AND DATA COLLECTION ..................................................................................... 19

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FURTHER RESEARCH .................................................................................................................................... 27

APPENDIX 1: SELECTED CITIES WITH LINKS TO TAIWANESE CITIES .......................................................................... 33

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Rationale and purpose

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The primary question that this research seeks to answer is:

“How have cross Taiwan Strait issues affected western cities’

In the course of this work the following sub-questions will be addressed:

What outcomes have been achieved from these paradiplomatic relationships?

To what extent, if any, have these C2C relationships contributed to building

“Subnational governmental involvement in international relations, through the

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People’s Republic of China

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What is paradiplomacy and what does it seek to achieve; and,

What is the history and experience of paradiplomatic sister city relationships

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Before the development of ubiquitous and cheap communications, considerable

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The sister cities movement

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It is intended to take a two-step, mixed method approach to this question using

Selection of C2C cities to be examined

Step one - questionnaire

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Step two – case studies

Local and national newspaper reports;

Council agendas and minutes;

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Possible targeted questionnaires or interviews.

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A number of US cities including Portland, Oregon and Columbus, Ohio maintain

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Informed and voluntary consent;

Respect for rights and confidentiality and preservation of anonymity;

Cultural and social sensitivity;

Respect for intellectual and cultural property ownership;

Avoidance of conflict of interest; and,

Research design adequacy.

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Resources Cost (NZ$)

Computer Supplied (Unitec staff computer and personal

Voice recorder Supplied

Phone costs Skype or equivalent where possible

Travel TBC, if required

Printing and binding (3x hardcopies) $400

If travel to Taiwan is considered an attempt will be made to seek external funding.

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