Taiwan: Flashpoint in a Troubled U.S.-China Relationship

U.S.-China relations are more seriously and enduringly troubled than at any time since Beijing and Washington established formal diplomatic ties in 1979. Contentious issues range from trade and technology to human rights and international security. They include Hong Kong, Xinjiang, the South and East China Seas, Chinese technology companies, and the Belt and Road Initiative. Among the many points of friction, Taiwan stands out as the most likely cause of a still-unlikely conflict between the world’s two greatest powers, and as a focal point for broader and deeper U.S.-China disagreements over China’s use of its economic and military power and the challenges it poses to the status quo international order and democracy in polities outside the People’s Republic. The U.S. has recently offered stronger statements of support for Taiwan while Beijing has increased pressure on Taipei and reiterated its insistence that unification cannot be put off indefinitely. In this fraught setting, what are the prospects for Taiwan and U.S.-China relations? Lunch is included.