Since President Tsai Ing-wen’s May inauguration, her administration has faced daunting challenges in trying to implement a complex domestic and foreign policy agenda. President Tsai has consistently avowed her intention to preserve the cross-Strait status quo, but Beijing has just as consistently insisted on certain political preconditions before it will accommodate to her government. With her first 100 days recently completed, Tsai must now look forward on how best to govern the island and manage cross-Strait relations for the next four years.
On September 15, the Center for East Asia Policy Studies at Brookings, the Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the Institute of International Relations at National Chengchi University in Taipei will co-host a public conference to analyze key opportunities and challenges in cross-Strait relations amidst shifting domestic, regional, and global conditions. Leading experts from Taiwan, the United States, and mainland China will discuss the recent developments in cross-Strait relations, examine current political and economic conditions in mainland China and how they impact Beijing’s approach to Taiwan, and evaluate Taipei-Washington-Beijing relations.
AGENDA
9:00 Welcoming Remarks
Richard Bush, Chen-Fu and Cecilia Yen Koo Chair in Taiwan Studies; Senior Fellow and Director, Center for East Asia Policy Studies, The Brookings Institution
Stanley Kao, Representative, Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States
Christopher K. Johnson, Senior Adviser and Chair, Freeman Chair in China Studies, CSIS
9:15-9:45 Keynote Address
Lin Cheng-Yi, Deputy Minister, Mainland Affairs Council, Executive Yuan
9:45-11:00 Panel 1: Opportunities and Challenges in Cross-Strait Relations
Moderator:
Richard Bush, Chen-Fu and Cecilia Yen Koo Chair in Taiwan Studies; Senior Fellow and Director, Center for East Asia Policy Studies, The Brookings Institution
Panelists:
Yan Jiann-fa, Professor, Chien Hsin University of Science and Technology
Arthur Shuh-Fan Ding, Research Fellow and Director, Institute of International Relations, National Chengchi University
David Brown, Adjunct Professor, China Studies, School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University
Zhu Zhiqun, Associate Professor, Political Science and International Relations; Chair, China Institute, Bucknell University
11:00-11:15 Coffee Break
11:15-12:30 Panel 2: Political and Economic Developments in Mainland China
Moderator:
Scott Kennedy, Deputy Director, Freeman Chair in China Studies; Director, Project on Chinese Business and Political Economy, CSIS
Panelists:
Christopher K. Johnson, Senior Adviser and Chair, Freeman Chair in China Studies, CSIS
Hsu Szu-Chien, President, Taiwan Foundation for Democracy
Dali Yang, Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Chicago
Chou Chih-Chieh, Professor, Department of Political Science, Graduate Institute of Political Economy, National Cheng Kung University
12:30-13:45 Luncheon Remarks: Taiwan's Regional Economic Integration
Scott Kennedy, Deputy Director, Freeman Chair in China Studies; Director, Project on Chinese Business and Political Economy, CSIS
13:45-15:00 Panel 3: U.S.-Taiwan-Mainland China Relations within New Political Environments
Moderator:
Richard Bush, Chen-Fu and Cecilia Yen Koo Chair in Taiwan Studies; Senior Fellow and Director, Center for East Asia Policy Studies, The Brookings Institution
Panelists:
Lin Wen-cheng, Professor, College of Social Science, National Sun Yat-sen University
Tsai Ming-Yen, Professor, Graduate Institute of International Politics, National Chung Hsing University
Zhao Suisheng, Director, Center for China-U.S. Cooperation, University of Denver
Bonny Glaser, Senior Adviser for Asia; Director, Project on Chinese Power, CSIS
Photo credit: Ashley Pon/Getty Images
