How Xi Jinping Could Get Taiwan without Firing a Shot

The recent meeting between President Biden and Chinese president Xi Jinping has been touted as one that could reduce tensions between the two powers. Another meeting that took place on the other side of the Pacific, however, holds greater promise to reduce the risk of war in the near future: the agreement between two Taiwanese opposition parties to run a joint ticket in January’s presidential election. That decision might be better news for China than for America.

Taiwan’s vibrant democracy is often praised but more often misunderstood. Taiwanese voters have recently been supporting the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the large party most vocally supportive of Taiwanese de facto independence. But that has only developed since 2012.

About the Author

Henry Olsen

Henry Olsen is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and the author of The Working-Class Republican: Ronald Reagan and the Return of Blue-Collar Conservatism.

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The recent meeting between President Biden and Chinese president Xi Jinping has been touted as one that could reduce tensions between the two powers. Another meeting that took place on the other side of the Pacific, however, holds greater promise to reduce the risk of war in the near future: the agreement between two Taiwanese opposition parties to run a joint ticket in January’s presidential election. That decision might be better news for China than for America.

Taiwan’s vibrant democracy is often praised but more often misunderstood. Taiwanese voters have recently been supporting the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the large party most vocally supportive of Taiwanese de facto independence. But that has only developed since 2012.

About the Author

Henry Olsen

Henry Olsen is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and the author of The Working-Class Republican: Ronald Reagan and the Return of Blue-Collar Conservatism.