Cross-Strait Relations

What is the significance of the visit by Taiwan’s former president?

Less than a month after former President Ma Ying-jeou's meeting with Xi Jinping, the KMT sent 17 sitting legislators to China as an “ice breaker.”

Ma Ying-jeou of the opposition KMT held a second meeting with Xi Jinping – his first as a private citizen – during an 11-day trip to China.

China’s population is already shrinking. The further demographic consequences of a Taiwan invasion would be devastating.

Humanitarian cooperation highlights a potential path to dialogue and de-escalation.

These balloon flights aren’t new, have no clear military use, and don’t seem to pose much of a threat.

The next 4 years will test Taiwan’s resilience in the face of geopolitical rivalry, climate crisis, diminishing socioeconomic prospects, and an aging society while being led by a divided government.

It’s an early test case of the new dynamics of power between the KMT and the DPP, and the impact on cross-strait relations. 

China is stepping up patrols in the waters off the coast of Kinmen after two Chinese fishermen drowned while fleeing the Taiwanese coast guard.

How the ROC is defined could have profound repercussions for cross-strait relations.

From sending balloons over Taiwan to forcing a scheduled sports competition to relocate, China has been upping the pressure.

While there is plenty of daylight between the DPP and KMT, the two parties have converged on remarkably similar positions with regards to national sovereignty.