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China-Taiwan Competition: Why It Matters for Peace and Stability in the Pacific

Date: Wednesday, July 10, 2024 / Time: 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT

Center: Asia Center

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The question of whether to recognize Taiwan or China has dominated headlines about the Pacific region in recent years. And in January, Nauru switched recognition from Taiwan to China, reducing Taiwan's total number of international partners to 12, with only three remaining in the Pacific. With China at a seeming advantage, why do Taiwan and China still compete over diplomatic recognition — especially when recognition has little impact on China’s ongoing competition with the United States in the region? 

On July 10, USIP hosted a conversation on the motivations driving China’s competition with Taiwan in the Pacific and its implications for peace and stability in the region. The discussion explored how Beijing’s desire for international recognition, extraterritorial control over its diasporas and domestic legitimacy all play a factor. 

Speakers

Gordon Peake, moderator
Senior Advisor, Pacific Islands, U.S. Institute of Peace

Graeme Smith
Senior Fellow, Department of Pacific Affairs, Australian National University

 

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