Abstract: In the first decade of the 21st century, new situations have emerged with great significance for the study of national development on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, namely, the generally accepted phenomenon of democratic consolidation in the ‘Taiwan experience’ and the rise of the ‘China model’ which attracts worldwide attention. This article aims to analyze the development experiences of Taiwan and of Mainland China, to identify their common ground and differences, and to fathom the theoretical implications of these experiences. Moreover, since Taiwan is comparatively more advanced in terms of economic and political development, the author attempts to explore the value of the ‘Taiwan experience’ to China and the possible direction of the ‘China model’