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Taiwan

Taiwan became the primary stronghold of the Republic of China following the Communist party's rise in mainland China in 1949. RAND has analyzed shifts in U.S. diplomatic and military policy toward Taiwan and the People's Republic of China (PRC) over the decades and, in recent years, has examined Taiwan's rapid economic development, gradual political liberalization, and efforts to achieve independence from the PRC.

Commentary

Small States Can Use Naval Mines and Unmanned Vehicles to Deter Maritime Aggression

Small coastal nations face potential threats from larger, more powerful adversaries. Their coastlines represent vulnerabilities that a foe may seek to exploit. But these nations can hinder and deter potential aggressors by using less expensive systems, such as naval mines and unmanned vehicles.

Jul 16, 2018
Commentary

Beijing's Threats Against Taiwan Are Deadly Serious

China's perception of the political status of Taiwan and how close Taipei and Washington have become has come to dominate cross-strait relations. Taiwan and the United States should prepare for greater hostility in the coming years, almost certainly lasting until the next Taiwan presidential election in 2020.

May 22, 2018
Commentary

China Is Tightening the Screws on Taiwan. Will Trump Act and Risk Losing Beijing?

The United States should consider ways to strengthen its engagement with Taiwan on defense and security issues that go beyond arms sales. Washington will need to do more to help Taiwan deal with other forms of Chinese pressure as well.

Feb 22, 2018
Commentary

Why China Should (Still) Feel Good About Taiwan… but Maybe Not for Long

Chinese leaders have ample reason to feel good about Taiwan, namely because Taiwanese President Tsai had been focusing her energy on stabilizing cross-Strait relations based on the status quo rather than moving toward independence. But because of its pressure tactics, Beijing may inadvertently push Taiwan in a more extreme direction.

Jan 24, 2018
Commentary

Chinese Bomber Flights Around Taiwan: For What Purpose?

Recent bomber flights near Taiwan represent the most concerted training regimen yet aimed at improving Chinese airpower. China seeks to enhance the PLA Air Force's capabilities and signal Beijing's will to defend its territorial claims against the U.S. and its regional allies and partners, especially Taiwan and Japan.

Sep 13, 2017
Commentary

Taiwan's 2017 Quadrennial Defense Review in Context

Taiwan's 2017 Quadrennial Defense Review is consistent with past reviews on defense strategy, reform of the military service system, and defense budget constraints. It also emphasizes the importance to President Tsai of Taiwan's domestic defense industry and shows uncertainty about U.S. Asia policy.

Jun 14, 2017
Commentary

Correspondence: Stability or Volatility Across the Taiwan Strait?

Prolonged tensions — even possibly amounting to a cross-strait cold peace — are likely if China's President Xi Jinping and Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen cannot reach basic agreement on Taiwan's sovereignty.

May 10, 2017
Testimony

Chinese Political and Military Thinking Regarding Taiwan and East and South China Seas

Official Chinese documents and scholarly writings provide insight into how Chinese leaders consider potential conflict with Taiwan and in the East and South China Seas—and how they might regard escalation in any conflict involving U.S. forces.

Apr 13, 2017
Commentary

Why China Will Not Unify with Taiwan by 2020

The prospects for peaceful unification of China and Taiwan continue to dim. Nothing Beijing has tried to woo or coerce Taiwan has worked. For those determined to compel Taiwan's unification, military subjugation remains a last option. But it would only worsen China's security environment.

Mar 21, 2017
Report

Transforming Taiwan's Reserve Force

As the political-military challenge from China grows, Taiwan's reserve force may need to play a more prominent role in Taipei's approach to deterring Chinese aggression. Changing its reserve force size, structure, roles, missions, equipment, and training could help Taiwan offset PLA advantages.

Feb 22, 2017
Commentary

Why China Should Feel Good About Taiwan

Chinese leaders should seek to engage in good-faith discussions with Taiwanese counterparts. Beijing should also recognize that Tsai's tentativeness about the new U.S. administration could change if cross-Strait military tensions escalate.

Feb 22, 2017
Commentary

History and Current Developments Regarding Taiwan's Coast Guard

As Asia-Pacific countries develop policies to regulate maritime zones of jurisdiction, the importance of coast guards as instruments of state policy has been growing. Taiwan's Coast Guard is an increasingly effective force facilitating the protection and regulation of Taiwanese maritime rights and interests in the East and South China Sea.

Feb 15, 2017
Report

Report

Smarter Power, Stronger Partners, Volume II: Trends in Force Projection Against Potential Adversaries

This book describes scenarios to test whether the anti-access and area-denial threat to U.S. force projection is growing more severe. They describe plausible U.S. and adversary military actions given current operational capabilities and approaches.

Feb 8, 2017
Commentary

Hey Washington Experts — Don't Roll Your Eyes Over Trump, Roll Up Your Sleeves

Policy experts do not want to be irrelevant or ignored. The Trump administration does not want to fail, and needs to generate winning policies. By working together, the administration and the policy community could help one another, and, more importantly, the nation.

Jan 12, 2017
Commentary

Walking Away from One-China Policy Imperils Taiwan

The U.S. One-China policy has helped keep the peace for decades. Abandoning it now could result in stiffer Chinese resolve. Such a strategy may even backfire by triggering an otherwise avoidable crisis.

Dec 22, 2016
Report

Report

Maritime Issues in the East and South China Seas: Summary of a Conference Held January 12–13, 2016

This conference summary presents key insights from a January 2016 conference focusing on maritime disputes in the East and South China Seas.

Dec 12, 2016
Commentary

China's Actions Are Causing U.S. 'Militarization' of the Pacific

Beijing's aggression in the Asia-Pacific is threatening key U.S. allies, causing America to respond. Any change in U.S. policy must be based on changes in Chinese behavior.

Nov 3, 2016
Commentary

Taiwan Should Not Worry About the Vatican

Concerns are growing in Taipei over whether the Holy See intends to switch its diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China. Beijing could be entertaining Vatican requests not out of genuine interest in reestablishing relations, but to put Taiwan on edge.

Oct 5, 2016
Commentary

A Bumpy Road Ahead for China-Taiwan Relations

Taiwanese President Tsai has issued numerous political overtures to Beijing, yet Chinese President Xi has demonstrated a clear reluctance to accept her as a credible partner. Instead, he has turned up the heat on Tsai in an attempt to undermine her administration.

Sep 22, 2016
Commentary

Taiwan Forced to Rethink Its Air Defense Strategy

Taiwan's defense problem is challenging, but it will spend a considerable sum on air defense capabilities in the coming years, and those investments could be made much more effective.

Apr 14, 2016

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