China & Taiwan

Showing the Dragon’s Teeth: China’s Warnings over the South China Sea

On August 31, the Royal Navy’s amphibious assault ship Albion exercised its freedom of navigation rights by sailing past the Chinese-occupied Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. As has been its practice, Beijing directed the British warship to...

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U.S.-China Competition and the Taiwan Tripwire

Under the Trump administration, U.S.-China relations have moved rapidly and dramatically from a prevailing mood of engagement to one of sharp rivalry. The arena has been primarily economics (trade and investment) as the administration has imposed tariffs on a...

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Second Thoughts?: Duterte and the South China Sea

In August 2018, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte did something unusual: he publicly criticized China. He asserted that China did not have the right to drive away aircraft and ships passing by its man-made islands in the South China Sea....

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Taiwan, Pivoting Allies, and American Interests Abroad

It seems like nearly every week there is something in the news about how the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is squeezing the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan) diplomatically, economically, politically, or militarily. Earlier in the summer, the Chinese...

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Xi Jinping’s Anti-Corruption Campaign: The Hidden Motives of a Modern-Day Mao

Throughout history, leaders in China have often resorted to implementing anti-corruption campaigns. Though these campaigns are a means of curbing extreme levels of corruption, they are also an effective method of pursuing political goals. The latest leader to utilize...

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The Enlightenment, Asia, and Definitive Works of the Period

Discussing other cultures is a vexed process, difficult in itself and prone to encourage accusations of racism and much else. The Western engagement with Asia is of particular significance given the geopolitical significance of both cultures—or, rather, groups of...

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The Big Squeeze: Beijing’s Anaconda Strategy to Force Taiwan to Surrender

Much overlooked in continuing discussions about arms sales and what kind of strategy Taiwan should employ to counter an invasion by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is the reality that the Beijing government’s real aim is to force...

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When Europe and Japan Move Ahead without the U.S.

Speculation about the outbreak of trade wars is high, as the Trump administration seemingly has no plans to deescalate threats of imposing tariffs to decrease the U.S. deficit. Never mind that none other than the Federal Reserve is cautioning...

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How China Dictates the Rules of the Game

Recently, news coverage of Asia has focused on Donald Trump’s trade war against the People’s Republic of China (PRC). While it is an important story, as we have seen ad nauseam with Mr. Trump, he changes his mind quite...

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Trade War: Acting Without Thinking

The Trump administration has launched a no-kidding trade war with China—and no one who knows Donald Trump well is surprised. If this president has one core belief, it is that the U.S. has been the victim of unfair trade...

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