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.

Data is not a decision: Taiwan’s whole-of-society resilience and the procurement gap

Written by Al Vigier. Taiwan’s resilience exercises in August reveal a critical gap: Taiwan is rapidly acquiring sensors, drones and communications infrastructure but lacks a trusted decision layer for crises when networks fail. This article argues that Taiwan should procure explainable, auditable, and human-controlled decision-support systems, thereby transforming AI principles into enforceable procurement requirements.

Rehearsing the First Hour

Written By Meng Kit Tang. This article examines what Taiwan’s Han Kuang 42 exercise and China’s expanding mock-Taipei training facilities reveal about how both sides are preparing for the opening hours of a Taiwan Strait conflict. It argues that both sides are preparing for the same strategic problem from opposite directions: Taiwan is trying to preserve time and China is preparing to compress that window.

Taiwan’s Fascinating Military History: Legacies of the Past and Implications for the Future

Written by Eric Setzekorn. This article introduces a new book that explores Taiwan’s military history since 1949 and examines today’s security challenges. It argues that Taiwan’s armed forces have evolved from a conservative “party army” into a more adaptable and balanced institution. It highlights lessons and challenges of the Taiwan-US military relationship and the foundations for Taiwan’s defence resilience.

Beyond Flashpoints: Understanding the Politics Behind Taiwan’s Strategic Choices

Written by Lucy Best. This article argues that issues of everyday governance, such as budgets, industrial development, and energy availability, that underpin Taiwan’s strategic success have become increasingly important for Taiwan’s partners to understand. Taiwan’s resilience is a question of whether its democratic institutions can continue to manage disagreement, produce effective policy and maintain public trust.

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