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Taiwan's Past and Future: Complexity and Contestation
Since 1979, when the United States and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) established diplomatic ties, Taiwan (the Republic of China (ROC)) has occupied an uncertain diplomatic position in the world. This “status quo” — in which Taiwan would not formally declare independence, the PRC would not resort to the use of force to forcibly unify Taiwan, and Washington would not “choose sides” in the unsettled political status of Taiwan, formed the basis of tenuous peace and stability in the region.
Today, as the U.S.-China rivalry intensifies and Taiwan continues to grow as a prosperous democracy, new tensions have arisen in relations across the Taiwan Strait and the geopolitical stakes for maintaining regional peace have only increased.
In launching a new initiative, Taiwan's Past and Future: Complexity and Contestation, the Asia Society Policy Institute's Center for China Analysis (CCA) will shed light on Taiwan's future by unpacking the complicated past and present of cross-Strait policy.
Through cutting-edge research, online and live events, and digital and video content — including a one-of-a-kind web-based resource we are calling the "Taiwan Policy Timeline" — and drawing from CCA's "inside out" approach to leverage our unique strengths in utilizing Chinese-language sources, this new program will bring valuable and timely insights to understanding cross-Strait relations as they reach a critical inflection point.
Our Experts
Rorry Daniels, Senior Fellow, Center for China Analysis and Managing Director, Asia Society Policy Institute
Simona Grano, Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Taiwan, Center for China Analysis
Philippe Le Corre, Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Center for China Analysis
Lyle Morris, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy and National Security, Center for China Analysis
Danny Russel, Vice President for International Security and Diplomacy, Asia Society Policy Institute
Jessica Chen-Weiss, Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Chinese Politics, Foreign Policy, and National Security, Center for China Analysis
Simona Grano is associate professor at the University of Zurich and Senior Fellow at Asia Society's Center for China Analysis. She lays out the land of Taiwan's complicated political scene, ahead of the January 2024 presidential election.
In this timely paper, Andrew Chubb writes about the Taiwan Strait crisis and the more likely contingencies of China seizing one of Taiwan's outlying islands.
Lyle J. Morris writes in South China Morning Post about Xi Jinping's line-up for the Central Military Commission (CMC) and how it signals that he is serious about Taiwan.
A panel of experts takes stock of the importance of the Taiwan Relations Act (1979) and the continued relevance of Taiwan in an era of strategic competition with the People’s Republic of China.
Kevin Rudd, Daniel Russel, Orville Schell, Bonnie Glaser, and Rorry Daniels unpack Beijing’s reaction to the U.S. House Speaker’s show of support to Taiwan.
Since 1979, when the United States and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) established diplomatic ties, Taiwan (the Republic of China (ROC)) has occupied an uncertain diplomatic position in the world. This “status quo” — in which Taiwan would not formally declare independence, the PRC would not resort to the use of force to forcibly unify Taiwan, and Washington would not “choose sides” in the unsettled political status of Taiwan, formed the basis of tenuous peace and stability in the region.
Today, as the U.S.-China rivalry intensifies and Taiwan continues to grow as a prosperous democracy, new tensions have arisen in relations across the Taiwan Strait and the geopolitical stakes for maintaining regional peace have only increased.
In launching a new initiative, Taiwan's Past and Future: Complexity and Contestation, the Asia Society Policy Institute's Center for China Analysis (CCA) will shed light on Taiwan's future by unpacking the complicated past and present of cross-Strait policy.
Through cutting-edge research, online and live events, and digital and video content — including a one-of-a-kind web-based resource we are calling the "Taiwan Policy Timeline" — and drawing from CCA's "inside out" approach to leverage our unique strengths in utilizing Chinese-language sources, this new program will bring valuable and timely insights to understanding cross-Strait relations as they reach a critical inflection point.