«IZVESTIYA IRKUTSKOGO GOSUDARSTVENNOGO UNIVERSITETA». SERIYA «POLITOLOGIYA. RELIGIOVEDENIE»
«THE BULLETIN OF IRKUTSK STATE UNIVERSITY». SERIES «POLITICAL SCIENCE AND RELIGION STUDIES»
ISSN 2073-3380 (Print)

List of issues > Series «Political Science and Religion Studies». 2026. Vol 55

Taiwan After the Sunflower Movement: Internal Mobilization and “One China” Conception

Author(s)

N. K. Panko

Peoples' Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba, Moscow, Russian Federation

Abstract
This article analyzes the impact of the 2014 Sunflower Movement on the transformation of Taiwanese societies and political elites’ attitudes toward the “One China” concept. The aim of the study is to determine how bottom-up internal mobilization was able to fundamentally alter Taipei’s foreign policy orientation. The research employs a comprehensive methodological approach that integrates elements of political sociology, international relations theory, and discourse analysis. The findings demonstrate that the Sunflower Movement was not merely a domestic political event in Taiwan, but a turning point in the island’s contemporary history. The 2014 protests contributed to the rise to power of Tsai Ing-wen – a prominent figure of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) – in 2016, which led to the emergence of a new political agenda. This agenda shifted the focus away from economic integration with China toward strengthening Taiwan’s sovereignty.
About the Authors
Panko Nikita Klavdievich, Postgraduate, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Peoples' Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba 6, Miklukho-Maklai st., Moscow, 117198, Russian Federation e-mail: nik.panko.1999@mail.ru
For citation
Panko N.K. Taiwan After the Sunflower Movement: Domestic Mobilization and the Challenge to the “One China” Concept. The Bulletin of Irkutsk State University. Series Political Science and Religion Studies, 2026, vol. 55, pp. 83-95. https://doi.org/10.26516/2073-3380.2026.55.83 (in Russian)
Keywords
Taiwan, PRC, Kuomintang, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Sunflower movement, Ma Ying-jeou, Tsai Ing-wen.
UDC
327.2
DOI
https://doi.org/10.26516/2073-3380.2026.55.83
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