China’s initial response to William Lai’s victory in Taiwan’s presidential election was relatively restrained but it will likely exert more pressure on Taiwan in the coming months. 

Ko Wen-je claims that he can chart a third way, simultaneously boosting Taiwan’s defenses while restarting communication with China. It is unclear, however, whether China would accept his overtures.

Hou Yu-ih has vowed to invest in Taiwan’s defenses while pursing dialogue with China. It is unclear whether Beijing would condition the latter on Hou not pursuing the former.

William Lai’s priorities are bolstering Taiwan’s defenses and consolidating ties with democracies. China is unlikely to pursue dialogue with Lai and would instead increase pressure on Taiwan.

President Biden’s meeting with Chinese President Xi was an opportunity to stabilize U.S.-China relations and yielded some important deliverables, but the bilateral relationship will continue to be de…

High-level attendance at this year’s Belt and Road forum is down, but BRI still has support in the Global South and will be used by Beijing to strengthen the Global South as a counterweight to the U…

Neither the United States nor China is prepared for a serious crisis.

U.S. reliance on Taiwanese chips gives it a major stake in preserving peace in the Taiwan Strait but does not make a war between China and Taiwan less likely.