In Taiwan, economic marginalization has been a main concern due to imbalanced cross-strait economic and political relations, the country's failure to participate in important international organizations, and the endorsement of the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) between Hong Kong and China in 2003. Is a regional cooperative mechanism, such as CEPA and its further extensions, the best choice for Taiwan's future economic development? This paper analyzes some options and their possible outcomes based on the current economic relationship among China, Taiwan, and the United States, and the principles of macroeconomic and international economic stabilization. The results are: (1) Taiwan does best by participating in regional cooperative mechanisms, putting aside the independence issue; (2) Taiwan keeps its independent political status and economic policy. The comparative analysis is preliminary but may be helpful in considering Taiwan's future economic and cross-strait policies.