Register for the webinar here (see times below)

February 20, 2025

With Donald Trump returning to the White House, his administration is expected to take a hardline approach against China, and cross-strait relations between Taiwan and Mainland China will be a high priority for policymakers in Taiwan, the US and in the wider region.

• Will President Trump seek to maintain the status quo, or will his administration pursue policies that risk upsetting it?
• What can stakeholders in Taiwan and surrounding states, such as ASEAN countries do to preserve the status quo across the Taiwan Strait?

This webinar will be hosted by the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network (APLN) in cooperation with Taiwan-ASEAN Studies Center at Chung-Hua Institution of Economic Research, and will feature senior expert discussants from Taiwan, the United States and ASEAN.

The discussion will revolve around the recommendations in the report, In Defence of the Status Quo: Stabilising Cross-Strait Relations under the Lai Ching-Te Administration written by the Center’s director, Kristy Hsu, and published by APLN. The report proposes several measures for preserving the status quo across the Taiwan Strait, and the webinar aims to examine their feasibility under Trump’s second presidency.

Presenter

Kristy Hsu, Director of the Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center (TASC), Chung Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER)

Panellists

Anne Hsiao, Researcher, Institute of International Relations, Taipei

Ja Ian Chong, Associate Professor of Political Science, National University of Singapore

Frank O’Donnell, APLN Senior Research Adviser

Moderator

Joel Petersson Ivre, APLN Policy Fellow