Taiwan: The Unavoidable US-China Flashpoint?

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As US-China tensions have ratcheted up, Taiwan has taken center stage in the international spotlight. Between trade wars, global supply chain chaos and the massive focus on semiconductors to power today’s technologies and advanced AI of the future, Taiwan has emerged as an indispensable global economy with a complex history and identity. The result: the island is increasingly an arena for US-China competition.

Commonwealth Club World Affairs hosts Ingrid Larson, Managing Director at the American Institute in Taiwan and one of the highest-ranking US officials engaged on these issues everyday, to delve into the latest developments in Taiwan.

What do Taiwan’s January election results mean for the island’s relationships with both mainland China and the US? With Congressional bickering and gridlock interfering with US support internationally, is the US helping or hurting Taiwan? How do the people of Taiwan live day-to-day in the shadow of this uneasy peace?

Don’t miss this limited-capacity, in-person only, Chatham House rules discussion to explore how the US aims to maintain its relationship with China while providing security assurances to Taiwan and avoid deadly escalation. Laura Stone, visiting scholar at Stanford University’s Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, will moderate the discussion.

The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) is a non-profit, private corporation established in 1979 by the Taiwan Relations Act to support the continuation of relations with Taiwan after the US changed its diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing.