This talk examines how Taiwan’s security has been affected by great power competition between the United States and China. It argues that the geostrategic aspect of great power competition has been a destabilizing factor in the Taiwan Strait, while the geoeconomic aspect has been a stabilizing factor. Against the backdrop of the U.S.-China rivalry, the United States has cooperated more closely with Taiwan at the political and military levels, raising doubts about the unofficial character of U.S.-Taiwan relations and the United States’ non-support for Taiwan’s independence.

James Lee is an Assistant Research Fellow/Professor at the Institute of European and American Studies at Academia Sinica in Taiwan. He is also an Affiliated Researcher of the University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC).