May 15 , 2019

Looking towards Taiwan’s 2020 presidential elections, both the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the opposition Kuomintang Party (KMT) face divisive, close-fought primary battles among multiple candidates, and the growing political volatility in Taiwan poses a major threat to Washington’s cautious relationship between Taipei and Beijing.

Feb 26 , 2019

Hardline, pro-independence activists in Taiwan are pushing for an independence referendum for the island to officially become an independent country, but these activists are risking catastrophe for themselves and the global community.

Jan 31 , 2019

Washington’s stubborn demand for complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of North Korea is the principal risk that the upcoming second summit next month may end in failure. Washington needs to abandon the utopian objective of complete denuclearization and pursue a more realistic objective.

Sep 27 , 2018

In sanctioning a singular department of the Chinese military to place pressure on Russia, the U.S. has made a diplomatic error that threatens two of its critical bilateral relationships.

Sep 07 , 2018

Beijing has launched a strategy to diplomatically isolate Taiwan, but these policies may have pushed a different group into action: Taiwan’s supporters in the American government.

Aug 13 , 2018

A modest change in U.S. policy could significantly dampen tensions in the South China Sea. Specifically, Washington needs to dramatically reduce its confrontational “freedom of navigation” patrols and stop treating Beijing as a disruptive element.

Jun 26 , 2018

Commentary following the historic Singapore Summit between American President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un framed the meeting as a tremendous success for President Xi Jinping, with results that leave China’s path to hegemony in the Asia-Pacific clear. But another thesis has also reared its head: that the summit’s peaceful outcome has created new obstacles for the PRC.

May 09 , 2018

The initial steps that Kim and Moon have taken are encouraging, and they provide the foundation for a lasting peace on the Peninsula. But they are just initial steps, and many thorny obstacles remain.

Mar 27 , 2018

Recent actions that Congress and President Trump have taken threaten to shatter a crucial, delicate balance in U.S. policy towards Taiwan. Their conduct provokes China and is heightening already worrisome tensions between Washington and Beijing. U.S. officials need to reassess their course of action before it triggers a major crisis in East Asia.

Mar 05 , 2018

South Korea may discover the inherent, potentially tragic, drawback of relying on the security protection that a distant great power provides. Crucial decisions about the ROK’s future will be made in Washington, not Seoul.