The pandemic has deepened the waters in cross-Strait relations. As President Tsai takes office for her second term, US-China-Taiwan relations face new challenges.

Taiwan’s re-elected leader masked her Taiwan independence agenda with delicate words, but her meaning was unmistakable. She is moving inexorably toward a separation through incremental steps. Can a crisis be averted?

The TAIPEI Act, passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by Donald Trump, will not benefit the island. Taiwan is being used as a pawn by the U.S. to gain leverage against Beijing.

The United States Congress recently passed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019, and President Donald Trump signed it into law. It is a major de facto amendment of the United States-Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992 and the first U.S. domestic law concerning the region since Hong Kong’s return to China.

History shows that when necessary, Washington will sacrifice Taiwan’s interests in order to achieve US foreign policy goals. Today, Taiwan might find itself as collateral damage in the US-China trade war.

The candidates for Taiwan’s upcoming election represent two distinct competing ideologies concerning Taiwan’s autonomy under mainland China. The outcome of the election could change the course of history for China-U.S.-Taiwan relations.

The Solomon Islands recently broke diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of switching relations to China. This is only the most recent loss to Taiwan’s diplomatic community, as countries increasingly see the economic and strategic benefit of siding with China. Such shifts in the geopolitics of the Pacific region arouse great concern on the part of the United States, which fears the economic and military expansion of China. Given China’s extensive shipping and trade network in the region however, China’s interest in bolstering its defense capabilities should come as no surprise.

The announcement of the ban on solo mainland China tourists visiting Taiwan is a major escalation in cross-Strait relations. How has the mainland’s Taiwan policy changed, what was the reason for the suspension of visits, and what is the goal of such a strategic move?