Skip to main content
The Interpreter

Interpreter - Menu Links

  • Articles
  • Debates
  • Contributors
  • About

Published daily by the Lowy Institute

  • 21 hours ago
    • China
    • Taiwan
    • Defence & Security

    A Chinese invasion of Taiwan isn’t inevitable

    Daniel R. DePetris
    The logistics pose a momentous challenge. And more so, Xi Jinping knows a war will entail enormous costs.
  • 1 Feb 2023
    • Indonesia
    • Malaysia
    • Taiwan

    Indonesia gets the ball rolling on domestic worker rights

    Ratih Kabinawa , Pamungkas A. Dewanto
    Jakarta’s call to legislate its informal workforce should be a model for all countries that receive migrant workers.
  • 30 Dec 2022
    • China
    • Taiwan

    How to Interpret 2022: A Taiwan crisis

    Daniel Flitton
    One of Asia’s flashpoints again tested regional relations, as well as analysts.
  • 18 Oct 2022
    • India
    • Taiwan
    • Geo-economics

    Will the three Ts tie India and Taiwan?

    Melissa Conley Tyler
    If New Delhi wants Taipei to help build supply chain security, it should expect Taiwan to ask for more political support.
  • 26 Sep 2022
    • China
    • Taiwan
    • United States

    Taiwan: Biden risks talking himself into a war he cannot win

    Hugh White
    The military balance is shifting China’s way, and half-abandoning a policy of strategic ambiguity won’t change that.
  • 20 Sep 2022
    • China
    • Taiwan
    • The Biden Presidency
    • United States

    What does Biden mean on Taiwan?

    Robert Ayson
    When Washington doesn’t speak with one voice, its powers of strategic ambiguity are slowly chipped away.
  • 24 Aug 2022
    • China
    • Taiwan
    • United States

    What are the prospects for stability across the Taiwan Strait?

    Jade Guan
    A democratic Taiwan has considerable agency and capacity to affect the dynamics of power in East Asia.
  • 19 Aug 2022
    • China
    • China's Government
    • China's Military
    • Taiwan
    • United States

    The social media spectacle of China’s Taiwan military exercises

    Manya Koetse
    The whole world’s a stage when it comes to promoting the power behind the “one China” narrative.
  • 17 Aug 2022
    • China
    • Taiwan
    • Defence & Security

    Why can’t Beijing renounce force against Taiwan?

    Jade Guan
    History, nationalism, the Party, deterrence and the military make for a heady mix.
  • 16 Aug 2022
    • China
    • Taiwan

    China’s Taiwan policy in the “new era”

    Cherry Hitkari
    Beijing’s latest white paper on Taiwan is a marked shift in tone from the more accommodating versions past.
  • 16 Aug 2022
    • China
    • Philippines
    • Taiwan
    • United States

    What the Philippines has at stake in Taiwan

    Susannah Patton
    Strategic choices by Manila will matter to Washington and Beijing.
  • 9 Aug 2022
    • China
    • China's Government
    • China's Military
    • Taiwan
    • United States

    When serious, careful US management of China–Taiwan policies … isn’t

    John Culver
    The status quo in the Strait has changed. But is anyone really tuning in as the drama unfolds?
  • 2 Aug 2022
    • China
    • Taiwan
    • United States

    Will Pelosi’s trip trigger the next Taiwan crisis?

    Adam Lockyer
    The speaker has a long history of standing against Beijing. But Asia’s balance of military power has changed.
  • 30 Jun 2022
    • Taiwan
    • China
    • Australian Public Opinion
    • Public Opinion Polling

    Australians worry about China and muscle-flexing over Taiwan

    Natasha Kassam
    New polling shows Beijing and its intentions have overtaken climate, Covid and cyberattacks as major concerns.
  • 28 Jun 2022
    • China
    • Japan
    • North Korea
    • South Korea
    • Taiwan
    • United States

    Contingency plans: South Korea and cross-Strait security

    Henry Storey
    Seoul’s new administration faces critical choices over Taiwan and its relationships with Washington and Beijing.
  • 25 Jan 2022
    • China
    • Taiwan
    • Hong Kong

    China’s new reality

    Evan Freidin
    Forget geopolitics and military muscle flexing. Reality TV is where Beijing and Taipei can put aside their differences.
  • 23 Dec 2021
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • South China Sea
    • Australia
    • China
    • Taiwan

    Myths that stir trouble in the South China Sea

    John Quiggin
    A major shipping route, yes, but vital? False claims about the value of these waters only make diplomacy harder.
  • 24 Nov 2021
    • Australia
    • China
    • Taiwan

    Paul Keating may be the “Grand Appeaser”, but is he wrong?

    Simon Cotton
    The lessons of history are many and few are simple. Empty threats can be just as damaging to a country’s reputation.
  • 29 Oct 2021
    • China
    • Taiwan
    • International law

    The legal case for defending Taiwan

    Christopher R Hughes
    If a narrow interpretation of international law saw China attack Taiwan, a League of Nations-style crisis would ensue.
  • 14 Oct 2021
    • Defence & Security
    • China
    • Taiwan
    • International law

    Would a war over Taiwan be legal?

    Ben Saul
    International law defines statehood and provides the rules of war, but ambiguities abound in the case of Taiwan.
  • 6 Oct 2021
    • Defence & Security
    • China
    • Taiwan

    Chinese warplanes overhead Taiwan (or maybe not)

    Peter Layton
    Multi-aircraft flights – some at night – signal a growing sophistication. But there are still limits.
  • 13 Aug 2021
    • Taiwan

    Taiwan: The age-old question of who gets a vote

    Timothy S. Rich , Isabel Eliassen , Madelynn Einhorn
    A proposal to lower the voting age to 18 leaves the electorate surprisingly apprehensive – even younger Taiwanese.
  • 5 Aug 2021
    • Taiwan

    “I am a Taiwanese”: Eastern Europeans see a Cold War in East Asia

    Josh Stenberg
    Memories of life under authoritarianism forge ties between Taiwan and a growing number of Eastern European states.
  • 13 Jul 2021
    • Taiwan

    Taipei’s growing legion of friends

    Natasha Kassam
    There’s serious regional clout behind Taiwan’s goal of peace and stability.
  • 1 Jul 2021
    • Trade
    • Taiwan

    Sweet and sour: Taiwan’s pork and pineapple battles

    Melissa Conley Tyler , Liam Gibson
    Nationalist consumer sentiment has become a decisive factor in Taiwan’s food bans with the US and China.
  • 29 Jun 2021
    • United States
    • China
    • Taiwan
    • Technology

    Hsinchu: Taiwan’s city at the centre of China’s conundrum

    Perry Q Wood
    Semiconductors are the drivers of the digital economy. The US needs them. So does China. And Taiwan makes the most.
  • 30 Apr 2021
    • Trade
    • Trade and Investment in the Asia Pacific
    • India
    • Taiwan
    • Technology

    Taiwan: Renewing a southbound vision

    Kannan R. Nair
    Increasing economic ties with Southeast Asia has been a success for Tsai Ing-wen. She should look beyond to India, too.
  • 1 Apr 2021
    • China
    • Taiwan
    • United States

    Closer Taiwan-US ties are stabilising the region, not the opposite

    Natasha Kassam
    Displays of solidarity for Taiwan won’t contain Beijing’s ambition, but US support must factor in its thinking.
  • 2 Nov 2020
    • Australia
    • Taiwan

    Taiwan: Rising stakes for Australia

    Jade Guan , Wen-Ti Sung
    America’s policy of “strategic ambiguity” is being hotly contested, but multilateralism might offer a fresh approach.
  • 30 Sep 2020
    • United States
    • China
    • Taiwan

    The unfinished Chinese civil war

    John Culver
    Many frame China’s options against Taiwan as peace or invasion. This is a dangerous oversimplification.
  • 17 Jul 2020
    • Taiwan

    Taiwan tiptoes in cross-strait relations

    Nicholas Chiu
    Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen has carefully navigated Beijing’s bullying and wishful thinking about Washington.
  • 9 Jul 2020
    • United States
    • China
    • Taiwan
    • Technology

    The semiconductor industry is where politics gets real for Taiwan

    Kate Sullivan-Walker
    These tiny strategic products can profoundly change the world as the US and China fight over the brains of electronics.
  • 19 Jun 2020
    • Taiwan
    • Coronavirus

    COVIDcast: Foreign Minister Joseph Wu on Taiwan’s place in the world

    Natasha Kassam
    The latest episode in a podcast to discuss the implications of coronavirus for Australia, the region and the world.
  • 9 Apr 2020
    • United Nations
    • China
    • Taiwan
    • Coronavirus

    WHO and China: Compounding politics and policy

    Rowan Callick
    The World Health Organization has been heavily criticised for appeasing China instead of leading the Covid-19 fight.
  • 15 Jan 2020
    • Taiwan

    Taiwan voters reject Beijing, but not populism

    Nick Aspinwall
    Tsai Ing-wen’s party used fear of Beijing to see off a weak opponent. She’ll have much to prove during her second term.
  • 7 Jan 2020
    • Taiwan

    The absurdity shaping Taiwan’s presidential elections

    Natasha Kassam
    The country that isn’t a country might one day reunify with the PRC, of which it was never a part. That’s just a start.
  • 29 Nov 2019
    • Taiwan
    • Southeast Asia

    Taiwan embraces Southeast Asian migrant workers, one book at a time

    Randy Mulyanto
    A bookstore in New Taipei aims to bring a little piece of home to new migrants and help locals connect to the region.
  • 11 Oct 2019
    • China
    • Taiwan

    For China, “national reunification” with Taiwan remains a dream

    Randy Mulyanto
    Xi Jinping regularly invokes “one country, two systems” to unite China and Taiwan, yet wins little support.
  • 19 Sep 2019
    • China
    • Solomon Islands
    • Taiwan
    • Vanuatu

    China-Taiwan: Solomon Islands’ switch and a “new normal”

    Dan McGarry
    Should the US and Australia really be surprised that Pacific nations see China filling a vacuum?
  • 12 Sep 2019
    • China
    • Solomon Islands
    • Taiwan

    The wisdom of Solomons: Taiwan and China’s Pacific power play

    Graeme Smith
    Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare offers an insight on the whys and why nots of diplomatic recognition.
  • 29 Jul 2019
    • Taiwan

    Can Taiwan’s President fend off a populist wave?

    Nick Aspinwall
    <p>The next election is cast as a Clinton v Trump-like contest between a breezy populist and “adult in the room”.</p>
  • 10 Jul 2019
    • China
    • Taiwan
    • Hong Kong

    Hong Kong sets an example to push Taiwan even further from China

    Randy Mulyanto
    <p>Taiwan’s close watch on Hong Kong has only firmed its opposition to Beijing’s “one country, two systems”.</p>
  • 31 May 2019
    • Pacific Islands
    • China
    • Taiwan

    The importance of Taiwan’s diplomatic partners in Oceania

    Timothy S. Rich
    With the China challenge in the Pacific, Australia and the US could work together to help Taiwan preserve regional ties.
  • 30 May 2019
    • Taiwan

    Taiwan’s gay marriage law victory not an obvious win for its President

    Nick Aspinwall
    <p>Passage of a historic law is unlikely to bolster Tsai Ing-wen in her struggle at the ballot box.</p>
  • 9 May 2019
    • Taiwan

    Taiwan’s tense politics on the international fault line

    Mark Harrison
    Beijing hovers with building pressure as the jostling ahead of Taiwan’s next presidential election ramps up.
  • 2 May 2019
    • Taiwan

    The high seas danger to workers in Taiwan’s fishing fleet

    Nick Aspinwall
    Alleged killings, fisherman lost and punishing work hours leave Taiwan’s lucrative fishing industry at risk of sanction.
  • 29 Apr 2019
    • Taiwan

    Tsai wins US sympathy, but what about Taiwan’s voters?

    Stuart Lau
    Taiwan’s President portrays herself as the only reliable choice against an assertive China.
  • 18 Mar 2019
    • China
    • Solomon Islands
    • Taiwan

    Diplomatic switch? Solomon Islands relations with Taiwan or China

    Denghua Zhang , Transform Aqorau
    <p>Honiara might break with Taipei after the April election, and may not be the last in a tug of war with Beijing.</p>
  • 5 Feb 2019
    • Taiwan

    Not only China, Tsai Ing-wen must master the politics of pork

    William Sharp
    The agricultural lobby is making trouble for Taiwan’s president, yet tackling vested interests might be key to winning.
  • 8 Jan 2019
    • Taiwan

    Taiwan: Tsai Ing-wen’s battle to discipline the DPP

    Charlie Lyons Jones
    The Taiwanese president struggles to get the green light for DPP leadership in the 2020 presidential elections.
Pagination
  • Previous page ‹ Previous
  • Current page 1
  • Page 2
  • Next page ››

Stay informed with the latest commentary and analysis on international events from experts at the Lowy Institute and around the world.

Register

The Interpreter features in-depth analysis & expert commentary on the latest international events, published daily by the Lowy Institute

© Copyright 2023 Lowy Institute

  • Debates
  • Contributors
  • Articles
  • About
  • Comments Policy
  • My Bookmarks
  • Terms of Use
  • Site map
  • My Admin
  • Log In