Growing Tensions in the Taiwan Strait
TRANSCEND MEMBERS, 19 May 2025
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service
16 May 2025 – Tensions in the Taiwan Strait are growing. Even before Taiwanese elected Lai Ching-te (also known as William Lai) as president in January 2024, Chinese officials voiced strong opposition to him, calling him “a separatist” and “an instigator of war”. Since he has become president, Chinese government attacks have become even harder, calling him a “destroyer of cross-Strait peace.”
Along with the harsher verbal attacks, the Chinese government has increased military execises around Taiwan and in Taiwanese air space. The Chinese have developed increasingly sophisticated weapons including long-range missiles. In response, Taiwan has increased the training of its military. The intensity of the current tensions recall the period when Chen Shui-bian was president (2000-2008). Both China and Taiwan look ahead to 2027 when there will be the start of the new campaign for president.
The increased military exercises of Mainland China around Taiwan can lead to miscalculations and thus military incidents. What is unclear for the moment is what will be U.S. government policy. The policies of President Trump both economic and security policy seem to change by the day. It is likely that there are differences of opinion among leaders in the Trump administration, and the Chinese government may have difficulty to analyse U.S. policy.
Thus, the Taiwan Strait merits close watching, and to the extent possible tension reduction efforts made.
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René Wadlow is a member of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment. He is President of the Association of World Citizens, an international peace organization with consultative status with ECOSOC, the United Nations organ facilitating international cooperation and problem-solving in economic and social issues, and editor of Transnational Perspectives.
Tags: China, Conflict, Taiwan
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 19 May 2025.
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