 
 For six decades, Taiwan’s
political status has been unresolved. In that time, the small island’s economic
dynamism has made it a major player in the global market. But its economic
success hasn’t translated into political clout on the international stage. As China’s
sphere of influence expands, the island it considers a rogue province is losing
friends.
Taipei’s
occasional gestures towards independence have stroked the ire of China,
and the US has backed
its democratic ally. But with the potential for serious conflict in the Taiwan
Strait between nuclear powers, each side is treading carefully.
Program Overview
Ray
Suarez examines Taiwan’s
identity and politics in the shadow of a rising China.
Guests include Tain-Tsair Hsu, Mayor of Tainan City and Chong-Pin Lin, President
of the Foundation on International and Cross-Strait Studies and former Deputy
Defense Minister and First Vice Chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council.
Deborah
Amos traces
the history of America’s
relationship with Taiwan
and how those ties have impacted US-China relations. Featuring Dr. Nancy
Bernkopf Tucker, Professor of History at Georgetown
University.
Ray
Suarez examines the Clinton
administration’s response to China’s
firing of missiles in the Taiwan Strait in 1996. Featuring
Winston Lord, former US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian Affairs;
Frederick Chien, former Foreign Minister of Taiwan; Kurt Campbell, former
Deputy Secretary of Defense for East Asian Affairs; and Scott Hallford, former
Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy
in Beijing.
Deborah
Amos looks at how the conflict between the two Chinas
plays out in Panama,
one of Taiwan’s
most significant allies. Guests include Jorge Federico Lee, former Supreme
Court Justice and former Minister of Labor; Vladimir Franco, Director General of the
Legal Office at Panama’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Javier Chiang, founder of
the Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce in Panama; Bao Esheng, China’s commercial
representative in Panama; and Daniel Erikson, Senior Associate for US policy
and Director of Caribbean Programs at the Inter-American Dialogue in
Washington.
More Resources on US-China-Taiwan Relations
View Photos from Taiwan
Interview Transcripts
Dr. Nancy Bernkopf Tucker
Frederick Chien
Winston Lord
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