Latest Articles about Cross-Strait Relations
PLA Air Force Increases Flexibility of Combat Support Units
In early November, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) published photographs of army helicopters taking off from an “air force station” of the Eastern Theater Command during a “trans-regional operation” in late October (China Military Online, November 10). “Air force station” likely refers to the... MORE
The Cross-Strait Intelligence Contest Continues Without Quarter
Last week, the Taiwan High Court found retired air force Colonel Liu Sheng-shu (劉聖恕) and five serving military officers guilty of espionage for China. The court sentenced Colonel Liu and two of his co-conspirators to approximately 20 years in prison, marking some of the harshest... MORE
Trust, Confidence, and Competency in PLA Navy Submarine Command
PLAN's submarine force faces autonomy issues due to historical distrust between leadership and boat commanders, impacting long-distance deployments. PLAN submarines historically employ senior officers as mission commanders for centralized control—a practice dating back to the force's early development—yet frequent and extended deployments strain senior officers,... MORE
AI Strategies in the PLA’s Coastal and Air Defense
China has made significant strides in its ongoing contest with the United States to dominate the technological vanguard, especially in the military realm. One primary indicator of these efforts is the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) vigorous pursuit of integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into its defense... MORE
PLA Social Media Warfare and the Cognitive Domain
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has come to recognize the important role of social media in modern conflict and peacetime operations. As such, PLA researchers have begun using the term “social media warfare” (社交媒体战) to describe the extension of non-kinetic military activities onto social media... MORE
The PRC’s “One Family” Concept and Taiwanese Views of a Cross-Strait Familial Bond
Introduction The concept that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to “one family” (兩岸一家人 or 兩岸一家親), an idea promoted by China’s top leadership, has failed to gain popularity in Taiwan. Even members of the Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨)—Taiwan’s main opposition party that supports greater engagement... MORE
A Tale of Two Summits: G7 Displays Unity as China Courts Central Asia
The U.S. appears to have succeeded in coaxing its European and Asian allies into adopting a united policy to counter China, even as the Xi Jinping administration flexed its muscle, demonstrating Beijing’s increasing power and influence in Central Asia. At their meeting in Hiroshima, Japan... MORE
Xi Jinping and Taiwan: Change and Continuity with Past CCP Leaders
Introduction Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic over three years ago, both cross-Strait and U.S.-China relations have greatly worsened, reaching a post-1979 nadir. This deterioration has coincided with a broad push by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to “struggle” (奋斗) with the U.S. and... MORE
Taiwan’s Dwindling Diplomatic Allies
Amidst the drama surrounding Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s early April stopover in Southern California, where she met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and the subsequent People’s Liberation Army (PLA) maneuvers around Taiwan that followed, it can be easy to forget why the Taiwanese President was... MORE
Sword out of Sheath?: Assessing the Strategic Implications of the PLA’s April Exercises Around Taiwan
Introduction Thus far in 2023, People’s Republic of China (PRC) President Xi Jinping has consolidated his power base after securing his third term as General Secretary at the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) last October. Despite the fact that the COVID-19... MORE