The Burn Bag – National Security and Foreign Policy Redefined

Bonnie Glaser on Taiwan: Why is it a Flashpoint in U.S.-China Relations?

February 20, 2024
The Burn Bag – National Security and Foreign Policy Redefined
Bonnie Glaser on Taiwan: Why is it a Flashpoint in U.S.-China Relations?
Show Notes

This week, A'ndre chatted with Bonnie Glaser, one of the country's premier Taiwan experts and the Managing Director of the German Marshall Fund's Indo-Pacific program, on all things related to Taiwan. Bonnie provides a quick overview of Taiwan's contemporary history, outlining how the U.S. and China have engaged with Taiwan's Government, the U.S. policy of strategic ambiguity, and why China aims to claim Taiwan as its own. Bonnie discusses why she believes that China will NOT invade Taiwan in the near-future, and also what the recent Taiwanese Presidential Elections mean for Cross-Strait relations. A'ndre and Bonnie also chat about the significance of Taiwan's economy to global supply chains (particularly in the technology domain), and why any conflict over island would likely upend the global economy.

You can check out Bonnie's book (co-authored with Brookings' Ryan Hass and Dr. Richard Bush), U.S.-Taiwan Relations: Will China's Challenge Lead to a Crisis? here.