{"id":1420,"date":"2024-02-23T16:00:26","date_gmt":"2024-02-23T16:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/fridaylunch\/?p=1420"},"modified":"2024-06-24T16:01:56","modified_gmt":"2024-06-24T16:01:56","slug":"taiwan-and-china-questions-and-answers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/fridaylunch\/2024\/02\/23\/taiwan-and-china-questions-and-answers\/","title":{"rendered":"Taiwan and China: Questions and Answers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\"college
\nCenter for Policy Studies
\nPublic Affairs Discussion Group<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
Taiwan and China: Questions and Answers<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
\n

\"headshot\"<\/p>\n

Julia C. Strauss, Ph.D. – School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
Friday February 23, 2024
\n12:30-1:30 p.m.
\nMeeting Both In-Person and by Zoom
\nSpeaker will participate by Zoom
\nDampeer Room, Second Floor of Kelvin Smith Library<\/strong><\/span>*<\/strong><\/span>
\nCase Western Reserve University<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Dear Colleagues:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow Primed for War is China?\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0asked an<\/span>\u00a0article<\/u><\/span><\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Foreign Policy<\/em>\u00a0on February 4, concluding that,\u00a0\u201cRisk signals for a conflict are flashing red.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Although China has pushed the military envelope in a number of places recently, with tensions especially high in the<\/span>\u00a0South China Sea<\/u><\/span><\/a>, the overwhelmingly dominant fear is that China will invade Taiwan. At the turn of the (international) new year, President Xi Jinping<\/span>\u00a0declared<\/u><\/span><\/a>\u00a0that, \u201cthe reunification of the motherland is a historical inevitability,\u201d and called the then-frontrunner in Taiwan\u2019s January 13 election for president a \u201cdestroyer of peace.\u201d Lai Ching-te<\/span>\u00a0won anyway<\/u><\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Over recent years the People\u2019s Liberation Army has become more and more aggressive around Taiwan\u2019s borders, and this is backed up by strongly nationalistic propaganda within China. In the words of an August\u00a0New York Times<\/em><\/span>\u00a0article<\/u><\/span><\/a>\u00a0about how China has been probing Taiwan\u2019s defenses, \u201c(a) recent documentary series on Chinese state television, \u201cChasing the Dream,\u2019 has portrayed Chinese troops as confident, but willing to die if necessary, in any war. \u2018If there is one day that would make me truly proud,\u2019 a pilot says in one episode, \u2018I think it will be the moment when our motherland is united.\u2019\u201d But the people of Taiwan seem<\/span>\u00a0less than enthused<\/u><\/span><\/a>\u00a0about that idea. Over the past decades more and more of its people have identified as Taiwanese, rather than Chinese or both, and nearly half of the population in recent polling favored independence, while only 12 percent supported reunification with China.<\/p>\n

The island not-officially-recognized state of about 24 million people is a weird anomaly in diplomatic terms. It is officially recognized by very few countries, sometimes referred to by another name (the OECD calls it \u201cChinese Taipei\u201d and the IMF calls it \u201cTaiwan Province of China\u201d), and for fifty years the United States has never endorsed Taiwanese independence from China.<\/p>\n

But the same international organizations treat Taiwan as a separate entity in their reports as, of course, does the United States government. It is too important to leave out. Taiwan\u2019s economics and politics look a whole lot like a thriving nation-state. In spite of China\u2019s rise to world-power status, Taiwan has a much higher GDP per capita \u2013<\/span>\u00a0over 2.5 times as large<\/u><\/span><\/a>. Its representative government \u201c<\/span>draws envy and tears<\/u><\/span><\/a>\u00a0for visiting Chinese\u201d \u2013 well, at least for visiting Chinese democracy activists. Taiwan is also a central part of the world economy because it<\/span>\u00a0dominates production of semiconductors<\/u><\/span><\/a>, with a 68% market share overall and 90% share of the most advanced chips.<\/p>\n

The reasons China might invade are pretty straightforward. As the\u00a0Foreign Policy<\/em>\u00a0article two weeks ago argued, the stakes are a territorial dispute that is impossible in principle to compromise. Wars are started by countries that think they can win at the time, especially if they fear decline in the future. For many reasons sometime soon might look like an ideal time for a China that has a fast-growing military, with U.S. resources diverted to Ukraine but the Chinese state facing growing economic and demographic risks. The political risks of losing are much less for a dictator than an elected leader (though still worth concern for Xi). Other countries are already pressuring China anyway, particularly in efforts to limit access to high-end semiconductors. One might speculate that invading Taiwan would either guarantee that access or at least deny it to everyone else.<\/p>\n

But even a dictator with sycophantic advisers has to realize that crossing a hundred mile wide strait to invade a technologically advanced rival could have rather high costs. Those depend further on Taiwan\u2019s willingness and ability to resist. So one of the most pressing questions at the moment is the Taiwanese government\u2019s ability to walk a tightrope between strengthening defenses and inflaming Chinese sentiment.<\/p>\n

So what might happen?<\/strong>\u00a0Beats me, but I know a good person to ask.\u00a0Julie Strauss<\/strong>\u00a0spent nine years as editor of the\u00a0The China Quarterly<\/em>\u00a0as part of her distinguished career at the University of London\u2019s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). She was\u00a0one of our last visitors to campus before the pandemic hit<\/strong>, giving talks at the end of February, 2020 about her then-new book on development of the states in both Taiwan and China and, at the \u201cFriday Lunch,\u201d about the Chinese belt-and-road international initiative. She\u00a0returns by Zoom<\/strong>\u00a0to respond to questions about what might happen and why.<\/p>\n

While Professor Strauss will be on Zoom, as we have done with other Zoom-speakers those who wish are very welcome to gather and share refreshments and conversation in the Dampeer Room of Kelvin Smith Library.<\/em>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

In-Person and Virtual Attendance<\/h3>\n

We will meet this week in our regular location, the Dampeer Room on the second floor of Kelvin Smith Library.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We continue also to offer the meetings on Zoom. We do require pre-registering so as to avoid \u201czoom-bombing.\u201d The pre-registration link is posted below.<\/p>\n

The discussion begins at 12:30 p.m., but the room should be open no later than Noon. We try to have beverages and refreshments set up soon after that. Participants should be able to sign on to Zoom also by Noon. But please remember not much will be happening online until the talk begins at 12:30 pm. Please also be prepared to show identification when entering Kelvin Smith Library.<\/p>\n

Zoom participants should speak up when asked for questions or comments, or submit thoughts through Zoom\u2019s chat function. Please keep yourself muted until you are choosing to speak.<\/p>\n

Each week we will send out this newsletter with information about the topic. It will also include a link to register (for free) for the discussion.<\/strong>\u00a0When you register, you will automatically receive from the Zoom system the link to join the meeting. If you do not get the newsletter, you should also be able to get the information each Monday by checking<\/span>\u00a0http:\/\/fridaylunch.case.edu<\/u><\/span><\/a>\u00a0Then if you choose you can use the contact form on that website to request the registration link.<\/span><\/p>\n

This week’s Zoom link for registration is:<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/cwru.zoom.us\/meeting\/register\/tJUvc-qhrj0oEtdxJQFsi8lfe3hEEfs1twU1<\/u><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.<\/p>\n

Please also e-mail<\/span>\u00a0padg@case.edu<\/u><\/span><\/a>\u00a0if you have questions about arrangements or any suggestions. Or call at 216 368-2426 and we’ll try to get back to you.<\/p>\n

Best wishes for safety and security for you and yours,<\/p>\n

Joe White
\nLuxenberg Family Professor of Public Policy and Director, Center for Policy Studies<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

About Our Guest<\/span><\/h3>\n

Julia C. Strauss<\/strong>\u00a0received a BA in Chinese Language and European History from Connecticut College and her MA and PhD in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley. She joined the School of Oriental and African Studies in 1994, served as Editor of\u00a0The China Quarterly<\/em>\u00a0from 2002 \u2013 2011, and was promoted to Professor in 2013. She also is a frequent visiting professor at the Taipei School of Economics and Political Science.<\/p>\n

Professor Strauss\u2019 research interests span both sides of the Taiwan Straits and are focused on state building and institution building, governance, the performative dimensions of politics, the environment, and China\u2019s \u201cgoing out\u201d policy toward the developing world, particular with respect to Africa and Latin America. A major theme in her research is how institutions developed from imperial to republican China, and then continuities and differences in subsequent developments in China and Taiwan. Among this work are two books:\u00a0Strong Institutions in Weak Polities: State Building in Republican China, 1927 \u2013 1940<\/em>\u00a0(Oxford University Press, 1998) and\u00a0State Formation in China and Taiwan: Bureaucracy, Campaign and Performance<\/em>\u00a0(Cambridge University Press, 2019).<\/span><\/p>\n

* Kelvin Smith Library requires all entrants to show identification when entering the building, unless they have a university i.d. that they can magnetically scan. We are sorry if that seems like a hassle, but it has been Library policy for a while in response to security concerns. Please do not complain to the library staff at the entrance, who are just doing their jobs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Schedule of Friday Lunch Upcoming Topics and Speakers:<\/strong><\/p>\n

March 1: Inside State Energy Politics.<\/strong>\u00a0With\u00a0Daniel Gray<\/strong>, Founder and Director of Local Strategies, Citizens Utility Board of Ohio.<\/p>\n

March 8: The 2024 Elections.<\/strong>\u00a0With\u00a0Colin Swearingen, Ph.D.<\/strong>, Associate Professor of Political Science, John Carroll University.<\/p>\n

March 15: Spring Break<\/strong><\/p>\n

March 22: Thinking About Generative AI.<\/strong>\u00a0With\u00a0Satya Sahoo, Ph.D.<\/strong>, Associate Professor, Department of Population and Quantitative Health Science and Director, Biomedical and Health Informatics Ph.D. Program.<\/p>\n

March 29: The Impact of Neighborhood and Racial Violence on Black Youth Developmental Outcomes.<\/strong>\u00a0With\u00a0Dexter Voisin, Ph.D.<\/strong>, Dean of the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences.<\/p>\n

April 5: WTFentanyl? What We Need to Know About the Current Opioid Crisis.<\/strong>\u00a0With\u00a0Ryan Marino, MD<\/strong>, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Psychiatry.<\/p>\n

April 12: Conspiracy Theories and Climate Change Skepticism in Europe.<\/strong>\u00a0With\u00a0Andreas Sobisch, Ph.D.<\/strong>, Associate Professor of Political Science, John Carroll University.<\/p>\n

April 19: Why Our Children Struggle in School: Going Beyond the ADHD Metaphor.<\/strong>\u00a0With\u00a0Arthur Lavin MD, FAAP<\/strong>.\u00a0Alternate Room: Kelvin Smith Library LL06<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

April 26: What Does It Mean for Us?<\/strong>\u00a0Local Needs and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. With\u00a0Howard Maier FAICP<\/strong>, Adjunct Professor of Political Science.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
\n

Visit the\u00a0Public Affairs Discussion Group Web Site.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Center for Policy Studies | Mather House 111 | 11201 Euclid Avenue |
\nCleveland, Ohio 44106-7109 |\u00a0Phone: 216.368.6730 |\u00a0padg@case.edu<\/u><\/span><\/a>\u00a0|
\nPart of the:\u00a0College of Arts and Sciences<\/u><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a9 2024 Case Western Reserve University |
\nCleveland, Ohio 44106 | 216.368.2000 |\u00a0legal notice<\/u><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Center for Policy Studies
\nPublic Affairs Discussion Group<\/strong><\/p>\n

Taiwan and China: Questions and Answers<\/strong><\/p>\n

Julia C. Strauss, Ph.D. – School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London<\/strong><\/p>\n

Friday February 23, 2024
\n12:30-1:30 p.m.
\nMeeting Both In-Person and by Zoom
\nSpeaker will participate by Zoom
\nDampeer Room, Second Floor of Kelvin Smith Library<\/strong>*<\/strong>
\nCase Western Reserve University<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dear Colleagues:<\/p>\n

\u201cHow Primed for War is China?\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0asked an\u00a0article<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Foreign Policy<\/em>\u00a0on February 4,<\/p>\n

Continue reading… Taiwan and China: Questions and Answers<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/fridaylunch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1420"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/fridaylunch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/fridaylunch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/fridaylunch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/fridaylunch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1420"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/fridaylunch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1420\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1422,"href":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/fridaylunch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1420\/revisions\/1422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/fridaylunch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/fridaylunch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1420"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/fridaylunch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}