Shouldn’t we just close all Confucius Institutes?

Written by Matthias Niedenführ

The West must ask itself serious questions about its desired relationship with China but a blanket closure of Confucius Institutes seems a politically expedient knee jerk reaction.

Evolution, not revolution, will define Yoon’s foreign policy

Written by Ramon Pacheco Pardo

As for Yoon’s approach toward the Indo-Pacific, we can expect Yoon to seek to boost security cooperation with the US — above all — Australia, Japan, Southeast Asia, and Europe to contain China’s behaviour in the region.

2022: Taiwan and its continued push for recognition

9DASHLINE invites a select group of experts to explore how Taiwan may circumvent its diplomatic isolation and be included as a reliable partner in international efforts seeking a transition towards a greener, healthier and more resilient world.

EU-Taiwan ties: Between expectations and reality

Written by Grzegorz Stec and Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy

European and Taiwanese actors need to keep in mind that escalating the political tensions with Beijing increases the price tag of EU-Taiwan engagement potentially impeding the positive momentum in bilateral ties.

What Kim Jong-un’s diplomacy tells us about Sino-NK relations

Written by Darcie Draudt

Looking forward to when the pandemic winds down, China will likely test the appetite in Pyongyang for bilateral and even multilateral meetings on denuclearisation and sanctions relief, especially at the working level.

The Belt and Road Initiative in China’s western frontier and Central Asia

Written by Zenel Garcia

The need for continued Chinese investment and market access ensures that Central Asian leaders will continue to relegate the question of Uyghur diasporas or the treatment of other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang to the periphery.

Indigenous deterrence capabilities and inter-Korean relations

Written by Elisabeth Suh

The upcoming presidential elections in March 2022 will set Seoul’s tone for the next five years. Which scenario is more likely to unfold in the medium-term, however, depends also on North Korea and the broader geopolitical setting.

China’s new ‘space vehicle’

Written by Joe Varner

This is more about an aggressive hegemonic China's conventional warfighting capabilities and ensuring they have free reign in the Western Pacific against states like Taiwan without facing the prospect of nuclear war.

Three hawks and a dove: Defence issues and the 2021 LDP election

Written by Corey Wallace

Kishida’s increasingly muscular security stances also reflect toughening attitudes towards China within Japan’s political elites and public opinion throughout the spectrum. Ultimately, it is very likely that the Chinese government will be disappointed that Kishida is not a sheep in wolf’ clothing.

Heating up: An arms race on the Korean Peninsula

Written by Joe Varner

North Korea, on the other hand, has in the last month made clear it is going nowhere. It is bound and determined to hold Washington’s feet to the fire, holding its bases in the region, US cities and their populations hostage now and for the foreseeable future.

The future of South Korea’s feminist movement

Written by Shan-Jan Sarah Liu

Gendered expectations of women in South Korea are long-established and thus make the current feminist breakthrough even more significant than it might be in western societies. Recent developments illustrate that feminism can be an empowering tool for young South Korean women to stand in solidarity with one another in fighting misogyny.

Kuomintang: The only party capable of maintaining a US-China-Taiwan trilateral balance

Written by Eric Chu

As conflict rages around the world and political divisions continue to drive nations apart, Taiwan’s political leadership must emphasise bipartisanship and cooperation for mutual benefit while also being able to stand up for the country’s principles: looking for commonalities while respecting differences.

The EU’s new hype around Taiwan: Prospects for a more granular approach

Written by Justyna Szczudlik

The European Parliament’s role in popularising the Taiwan issue cannot be overestimated. The EU should promptly move towards popularising existing platforms for cooperation with Taiwan, such as those on industrial, digital and high-tech topics.

Taiwan’s fight against COVID-19: Balancing pandemic control with democratic oversight and rule of law

Written by Grace Faerber

Taiwanese society must rally its democratically elected representatives in the Legislative Yuan and Executive Yuan to take a hard look at the “necessary measures” currently in place and determine if one daily domestic case truly warrants such a wide margin of executive discretion and infringement on individual privacy.

The challenge of Chinese digital payment networks

Written by Felix Garten

Chinese-owned companies that use a Chinese digital payment platform outside of China also must adhere to the standards set by this platform. This could further be extended to companies and businesses that are not Chinese-owned but depend on the platform.

Why Hong Kong is no longer safe for business

Written by Jennine Liu

Bilateral disagreements over trade and extradition policies are likely to worsen China’s relations with the US and Canada, which will likely increase the threat of hostage diplomacy and arbitrary detentions for American and Canadian travellers in Hong Kong.

China’s expanding nuclear forces

Written by Gerald C. Brown

If China adopts a launch-on-warning posture that could cause substantial damage to the United States regardless of arsenal size, nuclear weapons are also unlikely to be enough to deter conventional conflicts outside the United States.

Assessing Taiwan’s ‘people-centred’ New Southbound Policy in Southeast Asia

Written by Ratih Kabinawa

Epistemic networks in Taiwan and Southeast Asia might learn from the success of their counterparts in European and North American countries in establishing regional Taiwan Studies associations. The Taiwanese government should also play an active role in fostering the establishment of such associations.