Europe’s Approach to Taiwan’s Security
2007 will be particularly sensitive for cross-strait relations. 2008 will see a new Taiwanese President, a referendum on UN membership for the island under the name Taiwan, and the Beijing Olympics; the potential for an escalation in hostilities remains of considerable concern.
Taiwan's ruling party, the Democratic Progressive Party, remains determined to go ahead with a referendum on UN membership for the island under the name Taiwan early in 2008. In a particularly sensitive year which will see the election of a new Taiwan President and the Beijing Olympics, the potential for an escalation in hostilities between the two sides remains of considerable concern. Beijing has warned that it may enact its anti-secession law, which does not rule out the use of force if Taiwan moves towards formal independence.
This discussion will not simply concern the stand-off between China and Taiwan across the Taiwan Strait, but perhaps more importantly strategic issues concerning the rise of the People’s Republic of China in the wake of the 17th party Congress, the broader regional security dimension and global implications. The conference will aim to stimulate debate between a team of prominent Taiwanese cross-strait analysts and Western experts with the aim of better understanding Taiwan’s security predicament on the approach to Taiwan’s presidential elections.
Core Themes:
The risk of a cross-strait crisis: current assessment and political dynamics
European strategic interests in Taiwan and in East Asian security
Taiwanese perceptions of the China threat: the economic and military rise of China
The European role in long-term stability for Taiwan
With opening comments by Lord Faulkner of Worcester, the speaker panel includes:
Dr. Chen-Wei Lin, Advisor, Taiwan’s National Security Council
Dr. Jiann-fa Yan, Chairman, Research and Planning Committee, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Dr Christopher Hughes, London School of Economics
Bonnie S. Glaser, Senior Associate, CSIS
Dr. Alexander Chieh-cheng Huang, Professor of Strategic Studies and Director of the Graduate Institute of American Studies at Tamkang University
Dr Steve Tsang, Oxford University
Dr. Yang-cheng Wang, Director, Graduate School of Strategic Studies, Taiwan’s National Defense Univesity
Jonathan Holslag, Brussels Institute for Contemporary China Studies
For more information please contact Alex Neill on +44 (0) 207 747 2614 or [email protected]
To register please download a booking form from the RUSI website
For all other enquiries please contact Lisa Muxworthy, Events Manager, on +44 (0) 207 747 2619 or [email protected]
