Taiwan’s New Government Takes Office

In the face of growing security challenges, this episode discusses what is on the agenda for Taiwan’s new leadership.

Taiwan is not merely a democracy; it is an outstanding example of a democracy. The Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2023 Democracy Index ranked Taiwan top in Asia and 10th globally (ahead of the UK and US) among the 167 countries and territories it surveys.

Like all democratic countries, Taiwan’s electoral preoccupations are a mix of domestic and foreign. But the inauguration of the incoming administration has been transformed into a global security event, because Taiwan is at the centre of a looming confrontation between the US and the People’s Republic of China.

In this episode, host Neil Melvin is joined by Dr Winnie King, Senior Lecturer at the University of Bristol, and Thomas des Garets Geddes, RUSI Associate Fellow, to discuss how the inauguration of a new government in Taiwan will affect cross-strait relations, and how might this play into the larger story of the Sino-US confrontation. What can we expect next?