Under President Xi Jinping's leadership, China has increased its defense spending, alongside a notable rise in tensions in the Taiwan Strait. As Beijing continues to grow its military capacity, will conflict be inescapable in the Taiwan Strait? Should the United States revisit its longstanding policy of “strategic ambiguity” and its “One China” policy to bolster deterrence against Chinese coercion and potential use of force? How would adjusting the U.S. approach further U.S. objectives in the Taiwan Strait?
The China Center hosted this moderated discussion by the Foreign Policy Program at Brookings to analyze these questions and articulate the choices facing the administration and their implications. This public event was part of the Brookings Global China series and complements a forthcoming written debate on the topic. Audience Q&A will follow the moderated discussion.
About the speakers
- Rorry Daniels, Managing Director, Asia Society Policy Institute
- Thomas Hanson, Chair, Minnesota Committee on Foreign Relations; Co-Chair, Minnesota International Business Council
- Ivan Kanapathy, Senior Associate (Non-resident), Freeman Chair in China Studies, Center for Strategic and International Studies
- Michael O’Hanlon, Senior Fellow and Director of Research, Foreign Policy, The Brookings Institution
- Moderator: John Rash, Columnist and Editorial Writer; Minneapolis Star Tribune