Foreign Policy Research Institute A Nation Must Think Before it Acts By Air and by Sea: PRC Coercion of Taiwan from Trump I to Trump II

A nation must think before it acts.

Foreign Policy Research Institute Foreign Policy Research Institute

By Air and by Sea: PRC Coercion of Taiwan from Trump I to Trump II

September 18, 2025 | 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm | Asia Program

About the Event

In 2020, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense began publishing daily maps to track an alarming new reality: near-constant military pressure from China’s People’s Liberation Army. What started with a spike in activity after senior Trump administration visits to Taipei has hardened into Beijing’s campaign to erase the Taiwan Strait’s centerline, encircle the island with air and naval patrols, and dispatch Coast Guard forces to Taiwan’s outlying islands.

President Lai Ching-te has answered with tougher conscript training, a rapid buildup of drones and sea drones, and new measures to safeguard Taiwan’s military and civilian resilience. Yet the stakes keep rising. Are these efforts enough to keep Beijing at bay? How has Washington recalibrated across two Trump terms? And which strategies actually blunt China’s coercion without provoking war?

Join Michael Beckley, Director of FPRI’s Asia Program, for a conversation with Thomas J. Shattuck, Nonresident Fellow at FPRI and Senior Program Manager at Perry World House, as they unpack the evolution of Chinese pressure “by air and by sea” and consider the options for Taipei, Washington, and their partners going forward.


FPRI is happy to provide this event free of charge thanks to the generous support of our members, partners, and event attendees. If you are not currently a member, the suggested donation is $25.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our events coordinator, Christine Datesman at cdatesman@fpri.org



Speakers

Thomas J. Shattuck

Thomas J. Shattuck - Thomas J. Shattuck is a Fellow in the Eurasia Program at the Foreign Policy Research Institute and a Senior Program Manager at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perry World House. He is a 2024-25 non-resident WSD-Handa Fellow at the Pacific Forum and a 2024-25 non-resident Research Fellow at the Modern War Institute at West Point.

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Michael Beckley

Michael Beckley - Michael Beckley is the Head of Research at the Asia Program at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, an Associate Professor of Political Science at Tufts University, and a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

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