From 17 – 20 October, CSDS embarked on a working visit to Taiwan to discuss security and geo-economic trends in the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic regions, as well as China’s evolving strategy towards Taiwan and Europe. The CSDS team consisted of Luis Simón, Director; Giulia Tercovich, Assistant Director; Daniel Fiott, Head of the Defence and Statecraft Programme; Antonio Calcara, Head of the Geopolitics and Technology Programme; Andreea Budeanu, Post-Doctoral Researcher; and Hong-Cheng Hsiao, Doctoral Researcher. The team engaged in three days of discussion and exchange with senior policymakers, analysts and researchers in Taipei.
In terms of government visits, CSDS met with senior policymakers from various ministries and government bodies including the Mainland Affairs Council, Ministry of National Defence, Ministry of Economic Affairs, National Security Council and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. While in Taipei, CSDS also had the occasion to meet with the Head of the European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan. These visits were an opportunity to exchange views on how Taiwan is developing economic security and resilience measures.
While in Taipei, CSDS also met with counterparts from the academic and think tank communities. This included a research exchange with academic colleagues from Academia Sinica, the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER), the Prospect Foundation and the Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR). The discussions revolved around China’s evolving strategy towards Taiwan and Europe, alliances and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific, economic security, European defence and the geopolitics of technology.
While on the official visit, CSDS was proud to collaborate with the National Chengchi University (NCCU) on a public event entitled “The Reordering of International Relations: The Indo-Pacific and Europe in an Era of Strategic Competition”. The event brought together senior decision-makers and students to discuss US-China strategic competition and its implications for the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic.
The visit took place in the context of CSDS’s ongoing work on “Europe in US-China Rivalry”, “Bridging Allies”, “Defence and Statecraft” and “Geopolitics and Technology”. The visit to Taiwan will also support CSDS research and analysis on Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific. CSDS analysis has so far focused on the implications of the war on Ukraine for Indo-Pacific security and elections in Taiwan and Europe.
