IRMO Brief June 2022 edition, authored by Darren Spinck, addresses current security challenges in the Taiwan Strait. Because of Russia’s relentless aggression against Ukraine, the international community is concerned that Taiwan could also become a target of Chinese aggression. The Chinese leader Xi Jinping stated that the unification of Taiwan with China is necessary in order to achieve the “Chinese dream”. At the same time, the US President Joe Biden warned China that the invasion on Taiwan would force America to send its military forces to defend the island. The U.S. policy toward Taiwan can be described as the “strategic ambiguity” in sense that Washington does not formally recognize Taiwan as an independent nation, but at the same time seeks to maintain the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.  The author also analyzes how Chinese invasion of the island would have a devastating effect on the global economy, given that Taiwan’s semiconductor industry accounts for over 60% of the total world production.

Darren Spinck is an associate fellow at The Henry Jackson Society and managing partner of geopolitical analytical projects at Washington Consulting Solutions, based in Washington, D.C.

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