Written by Pam Kennedy. This article examines whether Taiwan’s central role in producing AI-capable semiconductors creates a durable “AI shield” by increasing Western, especially US, security interests. It argues that the shield is narrower and more fragile than often assumed, vulnerable to AI investment slowdowns and chip-supply diversification, and should not replace broader international partnerships.
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.
Written by Chieh-Ting Yeh. Amid the fanfare and signals from the Cheng-Xi and Trump-Xi summits, this article suggests that Taiwan should be proactive in its own path forward, instead of being bogged down in trying to rely on certain individuals’ delusions of grandeur to solve complex global conflicts, or interpreting signals coming out of these political skits called “summits.”
Written by Jacques deLisle. This article argues that though Taiwan avoided the worst imagined outcomes from the Trump-Xi summit, the uncertainty and, in turn, the fears yielded by the meeting reflect, and are likely to worsen, the challenges Taiwan faces in cross-Strait and international relations. For Taiwan, all of this means deepening challenges in evaluating risks and making difficult policy choices.
Written by Meng Kit Tang. The piece examines how the recent Trump–Xi summit in Beijing reflected a broader shift in U.S.-China relations: Taiwan was increasingly treated as secondary to great-power stability. It argues that Beijing is combining diplomatic pressure, narrative shaping, and economic leverage to constrain Taiwan internationally, while Washington prioritises predictability and managed competition with China.
Written by Percy Yixuanchen Yu. This article argues that the Beijing summit between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump revealed a harder and more unprecedented form of great-power coexistence with multiple areas operating at once. Taiwan is becoming one of the key battlegrounds on which Beijing and Washington seek long-term advantage amid risk management.
