Conversation
01.20.24Managing the Taiwan Election Aftermath
Lai Ching-te is now president-elect of Taiwan, after a hard-fought race in which Beijing made its preference for his opponents clear. Lai is an outspoken advocate for Taiwan’s sovereignty, though he has said he wants to keep the status quo with...
Conversation
08.02.22Pelosi in Taiwan
On the evening of August 2, Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, landed in Taipei to begin an official visit. The trip, the first by a U.S. official of comparable rank in 25 years, came amid debate about how Beijing would...
Conversation
09.28.21How Could the U.S. Deter Military Conflict in the Taiwan Strait?
Last week, China flew 24 warplanes into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone. One of the largest incursions in recent years, the People’s Liberation Army flyover came a day after Taipei applied to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement...
Conversation
07.30.21Will Beijing Invade Taiwan?
What, precisely, are Beijing’s plans for Taiwan? In recent years, there has been no small amount of saber rattling, with aggressive naval drills, aerial incursions, and warnings that force would be used for reunification if necessary. But given the...
Conversation
06.21.21Will I Return to China?
ChinaFile sent a short questionnaire to several hundred ChinaFile contributors to get a sense of their feelings about traveling to China once COVID-19 restrictions begin to ease. Media reports at the time had suggested, anecdotally, that foreigners...
Conversation
06.03.20Has COVID-19 Changed How China’s Leaders Approach National Security?
While the world is reeling from the cascading shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic, China has continued a comparatively aggressive course in its foreign policy and security posture. Not only has it continued military and paramilitary activities in the...
Conversation
05.19.20What Are the Right and the Wrong Ways for the U.S. to Support Taiwan?
What are the right and wrong ways for the U.S. to support Taiwan? Traditionally, America’s goals have been to deter the mainland from aggression and coercion, support Taiwan’s democratic system, strengthen economic ties, and help it maintain...
Postcard
01.09.20As Taiwan’s Election Nears, A Sense of Foreboding Grips Voters from Different Camps
On the evening of December 29, at a rally in front of Democratic Progressive Party headquarters in Taipei, hundreds of people are shouting in unison. They support Tsai Ing-wen, the Democratic People’s Party (DPP) candidate in Taiwan’s January 11...
Conversation
12.30.19What’s Next for Taiwan?
On January 11, Taiwanese will go to the polls. Their election pits the incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which favors greater distance from Beijing, against Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu of the Kuomingtang,...
Books
12.16.19Becoming Taiwanese
Havard University Press: What does it mean to be Taiwanese? This question sits at the heart of Taiwan’s modern history and its place in the world. In contrast to the prevailing scholarly focus on Taiwan after 1987, Becoming Taiwanese examines the important first era in the history of Taiwanese identity construction during the early 20th century, in the place that served as the crucible for the formation of new identities: the northern port city of Jilong (Keelung).Part colonial urban social history, part exploration of the relationship between modern ethnicity and nationalism, Becoming Taiwanese offers new insights into ethnic identity formation. Evan Dawley examines how people from China’s southeastern coast became rooted in Taiwan; how the transfer to Japanese colonial rule established new contexts and relationships that promoted the formation of distinct urban, ethnic, and national identities; and how the so-called retrocession to China replicated earlier patterns and reinforced those same identities. Becoming Taiwanese is based on original research in Taiwan and Japan, and focuses on the settings and practices of social organizations, religion, and social welfare, as well as the local elites who served as community gatekeepers.{chop}
Conversation
12.09.19What Does Beijing Want from the Pacific Islands?
In late September, Pacific Island countries the Solomon Islands and Kiribati switched their diplomatic allegiances from Taiwan to China. That month, a Beijing-based company signed a secretive deal granting it exclusive development rights for the...
Conversation
10.04.19Taiwan Is Losing Allies. What Should Taipei (and D.C.) Do?
In a single week in September, the two Pacific nations of Kiribati and the Solomon Islands both switched their diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to Beijing, reducing the number of countries that still recognize Taiwan to 14 (and the Vatican)...
Viewpoint
09.28.19A Birthday Letter to the People’s Republic
Dear People’s Republic, Or should I call you, China? I am writing to you on the eve of your 70th birthday. 70, what an age. “For a man to live to 70 has been rare since ancient times,” the poet Du Fu wrote in the eighth century. You have outlived...
Viewpoint
05.31.19Taiwan and Hong Kong Have a Stake in Mainland China’s Political Development. They Should Act on It.
A range of observers and experts predicted that mainland China’s rapid economic modernization since the early 1990s would lead to social and political liberalization. Needless to say, that has not come to pass. The mainland’s economic reforms have...
Conversation
01.24.19What Does Xi Want from Taiwan? (And What Can Taiwan Do About It?)
In a major speech in early January, China’s leader Xi Jinping called unification across the Taiwan Strait “the great trend of history,” and warned that attempts to facilitate Taiwan’s independence would be met by force. Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-...
Viewpoint
01.09.19Normalization of Sino-American Relations: 40 Years Later
The spirited 2019 New Year’s speeches of Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen and China’s President Xi Jinping have just reminded the world that, 40 years after the normalization of relations between the United States and China, the potentially explosive...
Viewpoint
11.23.18Why the Taiwan Midterm Elections Matter
On November 24, millions of Taiwanese will vote for more than 11,000 mayors, councilors, and other officials nationwide in a key midterm election—only the country’s fifth since the victory of Chen Shui-Bian in 2000 ended decades of continuousrule by...
China in the World Podcast
09.20.18North Korea Diplomacy and U.S.-China Relations
from Carnegie China
Paul Haenle joined Kaiser Kuo to discuss next steps for DPRK diplomacy and tensions between the United States and China over trade, Taiwan, and the Belt and Road Initiative. Haenle shared his experience working as White House representative to the...
07.25.18
Does China’s Foreign NGO Law Present a Non-profit Opportunity for Taiwan?
from The News Lens
Establishing operations in Taiwan wasn’t the most logical option for international organizations whose missions demanded they be on the ground to engage with the challenging but dynamic “wild west” of civil society work in the P.R.C. Could the...
ChinaFile Recommends
07.25.18Giving In to China, U.S. Airlines Drop Taiwan (in Name at Least)
New York Times
You can book a ticket to Taipei from New York on a major American airline. Just don’t ask them which country you are going to. American, which was the first to make the switch, listed Taipei Taoyuan International Airport, the city’s main airport, as...
ChinaFile Recommends
06.12.18Washington Opens De Facto Embassy in Taiwan, Angering China
CNN
China has lodged a protest with the US following the official opening of Washington’s new de facto embassy in Taiwan, a self-ruled island off China’s southeastern coast that Beijing considers a renegade province.
ChinaFile Recommends
05.09.18Taiwan Blames China for Absence from U.N. Health Meeting
Reuters
China is disregarding the health of the people of Taiwan by blocking the island’s participation in an annual U.N. health meeting later this month, the Taiwan government said.
ChinaFile Recommends
05.03.18China Tells International Airlines to Toe the Line on Taiwan
CNN
China is turning up the heat on some of the world’s top airlines over how they describe Taiwan on their websites.
ChinaFile Recommends
05.02.18Taiwan Says China Dangled $3 Billion to Grab Ally Dominican Republic
Reuters
China offered the Dominican Republic a $3.1 billion package of investments and loans to get them to sever ties with Taiwan, a Taiwan official said on Tuesday, after the Caribbean nation switched allegiance to China in a diplomatic blow to the self-...
ChinaFile Recommends
05.01.18Taiwan Loses Diplomatic Ally as Dominican Republic Switches Ties to China
BBC
The Dominican Republic has established diplomatic relations with China, cutting ties with Taiwan
Viewpoint
04.19.18Trump’s Incredibly Risky Taiwan Policy
So-called friends of Taiwan in the United States are putting the island at risk as never before. The Taiwan Travel Act, passed unanimously by both houses of Congress, and signed by President Trump on March 16, 2018 without reservations, could...
ChinaFile Recommends
04.18.18Taiwan Accuses China of ‘Sabre Rattling’ as Naval Drill Begins
BBC
China is conducting live-fire military exercises in the Taiwan Strait amid growing tension in the region.
ChinaFile Recommends
04.09.18Tensions Rise over Taiwan Strait as U.S. and China Harden Positions
Washington Post
Fears grow that Taiwan will suffer the consequences of Trump-China spat.
ChinaFile Recommends
03.20.18Xi Jinping Warns against Dividing China after U.S. Passes Taiwan Law
Wall Street Journal
Chinese President Xi Jinping said Tuesday that any “tricks” to divide China will be thwarted, a warning that followed U.S. legislation opening the door to high-level visits with Taiwan.
The NYRB China Archive
03.02.18The Brands That Kowtow to China
from New York Review of Books
There’s been no joking as the apologies to China have come thick and fast in recent weeks, issued not by teenage singers but by some of the largest and richest multinational corporations in the world—the German luxury car manufacturer Daimler, the...
ChinaFile Recommends
02.22.18As China Puts Pressure on Taiwan, Signs of a U.S. Pushback
New York Times
As China ratchets up pressure on Taiwan, the self-governing island it claims as its territory, the United States is cautiously starting to push back.
ChinaFile Recommends
02.07.18China Tries to Charm Tech-Savvy Taiwanese Youth as Political Ties Fray
Reuters
A start-up incubator on the outskirts of Shanghai is laying out sweeteners for budding entrepreneurs: Free office space, subsidized housing rent, tax breaks and in some cases, cash of up to 200,000 yuan ($31,211.47).
ChinaFile Recommends
01.30.18Taiwan Retaliates Against Chinese Airlines, Hampering Lunar New Year Travel
New York Times
Tens of thousands of Taiwanese working in China are at risk of being unable to return home for the Lunar New Year in mid-February as a result of an escalating battle over airspace in the Taiwan Strait.
ChinaFile Recommends
01.23.18Taiwan President Says Does Not Exclude Possibility of China Attack
Reuters
“No one can exclude this possibility. We will need to see whether their policymakers are reasonable policymakers or not,” Tsai said in an interview on Taiwan television broadcast late on Monday, when asked whether China could attack Taiwan.
ChinaFile Recommends
01.17.18Amid Tension, China Carrier Group Sails through Taiwan Strait
Reuters
A Chinese carrier group has sailed through the narrow Taiwan Strait that separates the self-ruled island from its giant neighbor but no unusual activity was detected, Taiwan said on Wednesday, amid heightened tension with Beijing.
ChinaFile Recommends
12.20.17Taiwan Says Pro-China Party Is Suspected of Passing Information to Beijing
New York Times
Taiwan is investigating four members of a small political party that advocates unification with China, on the suspicion that they gave Chinese officials classified information related to an espionage case.
ChinaFile Recommends
12.14.17China Accuses US of Meddling over Potential US Navy Visits to Taiwan
Voice of America
China submitted an official protest with the United States Thursday after U.S
ChinaFile Recommends
12.12.17China Conducts ‘Island Encirclement’ Patrols near Taiwan
Reuters
China’s military announced the action on Tuesday, after a senior Chinese diplomat threatened that China would invade the self-ruled island if any U.S. warships made port visits there.
ChinaFile Recommends
12.11.17China, Taiwan Spar over Chinese Diplomat’s Invasion Threat
Reuters
A threat by a senior Chinese diplomat to invade Taiwan the instant any U.S. warship visits the self-ruled island has sparked a war of words, with Taipei accusing Beijing of failing to understand what democracy means.
11.29.17
Lee Ming-che May Not Have Been Charged under Foreign NGO Law—But His Case Could Still Have a Chilling Effect
On November 28, Taiwanese NGO activist Lee Ming-che was sentenced to five years in prison for “subverting state power.” A mainland Chinese citizen, Peng Yuhua, whom Lee’s family says they had not heard of before the trial, was tried with him and...
ChinaFile Recommends
11.17.17Trump’s First Asia-Pacific Tour: The View From Taiwan
Diplomat
What implications did Trump’s trip have for the U.S.-China-Taiwan triangle?
ChinaFile Recommends
11.13.17Taiwan Boosts Cyber Defences Against Threat from China
Financial Times
Taiwan’s ruling party is bolstering its cyber defences after hacking attacks that have raised fears that groups linked to the Chinese government plan to influence elections.
ChinaFile Recommends
10.27.17Ahead of Trump Trip, China Urges U.S. Not to Allow Taiwan President In
Reuters
China urged the United States on Friday not to allow Taiwan’s president to travel through U.S. territory en route to the island’s diplomatic allies in the Pacific, a sensitive visit shortly ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s trip to Beijing.
ChinaFile Recommends
10.26.17Taiwan President Calls for Thaw in Ties with Mainland China
South China Morning Post
Taiwan and mainland China need to drop historical baggage to seek a breakthrough in cross-straits relations, Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen said in her first public comments since the Communist Party unveiled a new leadership line-up.
ChinaFile Recommends
10.12.17China Threatens U.S. Congress for Crossing Its ‘Red Line’ on Taiwan
Washington Post
In a rare pressure campaign, the Chinese government is demanding that the U.S. Congress back off passing new laws that would strengthen the U.S. relationship with Taiwan. Beijing’s efforts are the latest sign that it is stepping up its campaign to...
ChinaFile Recommends
09.27.17China Says Taiwan Not a Country, Taiwan Says China Needs Reality Check
Reuters
China warned self-ruled Taiwan on Wednesday that it would “reap the consequences” of promoting formal independence, a red line for Beijing which claims the island as its own.
Viewpoint
09.15.17There Is Only One China, And There Is Only One Taiwan
One of Beijing’s least favorite people is Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen, who won a landslide election victory 18 months ago on a platform calling for more separation from China—a coded way of rejecting one of the mainland’s most sacred principles...
The NYRB China Archive
08.16.17The Lonely Struggle of Lee Ching-yu
from New York Review of Books
On March 19, a human rights activist from Taiwan named Lee Ming-che disappeared in mainland China, and his wife back in Taipei, Lee Ching-yu, became a member of one of the least desirable clubs in the world: the spouses of people who for political...
ChinaFile Recommends
08.09.17Taiwan’s President Tsai Urges Mainland China to Work with Her to Break Deadlock
South China Morning Post
Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen has called on mainland China to work with her government to establish “a new model of cross-strait interactions”.
ChinaFile Recommends
07.12.17Taiwan Casts Nervous Eye as Mainland Chinese Aircraft Carrier Liaoning Sails Near
South China Morning Post
Taiwan’s military is closely watching as a convoy accompanying mainland China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, sailed into the Taiwan Strait after leaving Hong Kong where it took part in the handover celebrations.
ChinaFile Recommends
06.30.17US-China Honeymoon Over: Washington Sanctions Chinese Bank and Sells Arms to Taiwan
Guardian
Relations between the world’s two largest economies look to be entering a new phase of turbulence after the US punctured Chinese celebrations of the anniversary of Hong Kong’s return by unveiling sanctions against a Chinese bank linked to North...
Conversation
06.14.17The World Is Deserting Taiwan. How Should the U.S. Respond?
On June 12, the small Central American nation of Panama announced it was severing diplomatic ties with Taiwan so that it could establish relations with the People’s Republic of China. Now, only 19 countries and the Vatican recognize Taiwan. Why did...
ChinaFile Recommends
06.13.17Panama Establishes Ties With China, Further Isolating Taiwan
New York Times
Panama has severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan in favor of recognizing China, the latest in a series of developments adding to the island’s isolation on the world stage and raising questions about waning American influence under President Trump.
ChinaFile Recommends
05.31.17Emirates Says Telling Cabin Crew Not to Wear Taiwan Flag Pins per China’s Request Was an ‘Error’
South China Morning Post
Emirates on Wednesday walked back an email ordering its Taiwanese cabin crew to remove the island’s flag from their uniforms following the Middle East airline’s decision to acquiesce to Beijing’s one-China policy.
ChinaFile Recommends
05.25.17Taiwan Simulates ‘Chinese Invasion’ during Military Exercise amid Growing Tensions with Beijing
Daily Mail
Military forces in Taiwan have today simulated a ‘Chinese invasion’ as part of live-fire war games amid rising tensions with Beijing.
ChinaFile Recommends
05.18.17Taiwan’s Vice President Talks to TIME about the Global Health Risks Arising from the Island’s Isolation
Time
When the World Health Assembly (WHA) convenes in Geneva on Monday, it will do so for the first time in nine years without Taiwan, a self-governed democracy that also boasts some of the highest medical standards in Asia.
Sinica Podcast
05.16.17America’s Top Trade Negotiator in 2001 Looks at China Today
from Sinica Podcast
Charlene Barshefsky was a name you couldn’t avoid if you were in Beijing in the late 1990s. As the United States Trade Representative from 1997 to 2001, she led the American team that negotiated China’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO...
ChinaFile Recommends
04.26.17U.S., Russia and China: A Tale of Big Egos, Profound Mistrust and Foolish Nationalism
ABC
Mr Trump’s first 100 days as President have dramatically demonstrated this failure. For all the rhetoric about “making America great again”, Mr Trump is rapidly discovering the US has limited capacity to impose its will on the rest of world.
04.23.17
Are NGOs in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau Subject to This Law?
Yes. The term 境外 (jing wai) used in the law, which we translate as “foreign,” is frequently translated as “overseas,” but its literal translation is “outside the borders.” For legal and regulatory purposes, jing wai includes Taiwan, Hong Kong, and...
Viewpoint
04.20.17A Taiwanese Man’s Detention in Guangdong Threatens a Key Pillar of Cross-Straits Relations
Update: On March 26, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office announced that Taiwanese human rights activist Lee Ming-che had been formally arrested on charges of “subverting state power.” Jerome Cohen has added a new comment to this essay. To skip to that...