Difficult choices: Taiwan’s quest for security and the good life
Past Event
Taiwan is rightly praised for its democracy. Elections are free, fair, and competitive; civil and political rights are protected; and on some issues, such as responding to COVID-19, the Taiwan government’s performance has been excellent. However, on other issues, its performance is not as exemplary. Sustaining economic growth, caring for an aging population, and reducing inequality are continuous challenges. Most consequential, however, is China’s ambition to end Taiwan’s separate existence on its terms. While these are not easy problems to solve, Taiwan’s political system has, at times, made implementing solutions more difficult.
In his new book — “Difficult Choices: Taiwan’s Quest for Security and the Good Life” — Nonresident Senior Fellow Richard Bush weaves together a detailed and nuanced analysis of the difficult policy choices that Taiwan faces, both internally and externally. He also explores how its democratic political system might improve its performance for the public that it serves.
On April 14, the Center for East Asia Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution hosted Bush for a discussion of his new book, moderated by Senior Fellow Ryan Hass.
Viewers submitted questions via e-mail to events@brookings.edu or via Twitter at #Taiwan.
Agenda
Opening remarks
Mireya Solís
Director - Center for East Asia Policy Studies
Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy, Center for East Asia Policy Studies
Philip Knight Chair in Japan Studies
Conversation
Ryan Hass
Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy, Center for East Asia Policy Studies, John L. Thornton China Center
The Michael H. Armacost Chair
Chen-Fu and Cecilia Yen Koo Chair in Taiwan Studies
Nonresident Fellow, Paul Tsai China Center, Yale Law School
Richard C. Bush
Nonresident Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy, Center for East Asia Policy Studies, John L. Thornton China Center
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China has a strategic dilemma. They’re frustrated by the status quo, and they’re probing for ways to change it. But taking big, bold actions would come at an extraordinary cost to them. You can’t eliminate the possibility that they would be willing to pay that cost, and so we have to be prepared for it. But if you accept the proposition that war is inevitable, and we must do everything we possibly can to prepare for it now, then you risk precipitating the very outcome that your strategy is designed to prevent.
