October 25, 2009
Trading Up in the Taiwan Strait
In the year and a half since President Ma Ying-jeou took office in Taipei, the world has witnessed an unprecedented rapprochement between China and Taiwan. The two sides have hosted visits of party officials, established direct charter flights across the Taiwan Strait, allowed for greater Chinese investment in Taiwan, and expanded the scope for Chinese tourism on the island. These and other moves add up to a major relaxation of tension, in sharp contrast to the previous eight years of cross-Strait relations.
The United States has welcomed these moves. Indeed, Washington is right to encourage a more constructive relationship across the Taiwan Strait, one that will make any use of force a more remote possibility. Yet the main vehicles for the rapprochement—strengthened economic ties between Taiwan and the mainland—contain the levers of political influence. And though defense issues, and arms sales in particular, have traditionally driven much of the U.S.-Taiwan relationship, it is time for Washington to consider more carefully the potential geopolitical implications of economic policy.
Read the full article at The Wall Street Journal.
More from CNAS
-
'India-U.S. Ties Right Now Example Of How Not To Handle Situation': Lisa Curtis
Video
While speaking to NDTV, Lisa Curtis, senior fellow and director at the Center for a New American Security says, "The India-U.S. ties right now are a textbook example of how no...
By Lisa Curtis
-
Video
Indo-Pacific Security / Energy, Economics & Security
Trump Hits India with 25% TariffThere have been signs of trouble in the U.S.-India talks, according to a Lisa Curtis from the Center for a New American Security, joining Bloomberg TV, including the U.S. want...
By Lisa Curtis
-
How China is Beating India in Its Own Backyard
Video
India and China are locked in a high-stakes struggle for influence in the Indian Ocean. Control over tiny islands could choke global trade and reshape regional power. Lisa Cur...
By Lisa Curtis
-
Video
Indo-Pacific Security / Energy, Economics & Security
U.S.-India Trade Talks Show Progress, but Major Hurdles Remain, Says StrategistRachel Ziemba, adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, says the U.S. and India are making progress toward a trade deal, driven by shared geostrategic ...
By Rachel Ziemba
