As China increases its ‘grey zone’ pressure, can Taiwan defend its sovereignty without sparking open conflict?

In this episode of Global Security Briefing, host Neil Melvin speaks with Dr. Philip Shetler-Jones, RUSI Senior Research Fellow for Indo-Pacific Security, Sze-Fung Lee an independent researcher specialising in Chinese hybrid warfare, and Dr. Jyun-yi Lee, Associate Research Fellow at Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research to examine how Taiwan is confronting the growing coercive pressure from China, a pressure which falls just below the threshold of war. Drawing on a new RUSI report, they explore what grey zone tactics are, how Taiwan is responding, and what lessons can be shared between Europe and the Indo-Pacific. With rising tensions in the Taiwan Strait, this episode asks: Can grey zone threats be deterred – and how close are we to open conflict?

This episode is brought to you as part of our Indo-Pacific Security Programme, under which our research on the grey zone and lawfare receives sponsorship from the Taipei Relations Office in London.