How to Explain Cross-strait Relations

Written by Frédéric Krumbein. This article introduces a five-theory framework to analyse cross-strait relations. By evaluating historical decisions, economic integration, identity shifts, and security dynamics, the author provides a comprehensive analytical toolkit to map future trajectories for Taiwan-China relations across varying degrees of political salience.

Continue reading

From ‘Compatriots’ to Coercion: How Cross-Strait Relations Have Changed

Written by Simona A. Grano. The author explores the shifting dynamics of cross-Strait relations, tracing Beijing’s strategy from historical “letters to compatriots” to modern grey-zone coercion. She highlights how China’s unification rhetoric increasingly clashes with Taiwan’s democratic identity, creating an environment where political messaging, military posture, and strategic coercion closely align.

Continue reading

Legal Indigeneities: Identity, Authenticity, and Power in Taiwan’s Indigenous Courts

Written by J. Christopher Upton. The author explores Taiwan’s specialised Indigenous court units, established in 2013 to bridge cultural differences within the national judiciary. Examining ethnographic courtroom observations, he details how Indigenous litigants actively perform identity through language, attire, legal knowledge, and advocacy. These “boundary institutions” reveal how Indigenous communities creatively navigate, contest, and reshape state legal spaces.

Continue reading

Introduction: From Award-Winning Research to New Conversations in Taiwan Studies

Written by Ming-yeh T. Rawnsley. This special issue of Taiwan Insight highlights five award-winning scholars recognised by the International Journal of Taiwan Studies Research Article Competition. Spanning Indigenous justice, vegan activism, cross-Strait relations, political communication, and music history, their essays showcase how Taiwan-focused research transcends a single discipline. Together, they demonstrate how studying Taiwan enriches global academic and public debates.

Continue reading

Taiwan Is Not a Bargaining Chip: Agency and Deterrence after the Donald Trump – Xi Jinping Summit

Written by Wai Yan Phyo Naing. The latest Trump-Xi summit highlights the risks of treating Taiwan as a bargaining chip amid shifting US-China relations. This article argues that Taiwan should avoid romanticising Taiwan-US relations and assess commitments through concrete actions, strengthen asymmetric defence and societal resilience, and deepen cooperation with regional partners to preserve deterrence and regional stability.

Continue reading

Lithuania’s Taiwan Balancing Act Tests Europe’s Resolve

Written by Jozef Huljak. This article discusses how Lithuania is resuming economic cooperation talks with Taiwan despite internal political pressure to reset relations with Beijing. This strategy aims to shift the relationship from symbolic solidarity to durable economic interest, testing Europe’s resolve against Chinese coercion while proving that a resilient, mutually beneficial partnership can withstand domestic political cycles.

Continue reading

1 2 3 … 297