Taiwan in the Indo-Pacific Region: Prospects and Challenges

Abstract:Taiwan's security is inextricably linked to the strategic stability and preservation of the regional order in the Indo-Pacific region. For the leading Indo-Pacific powers, particularly the United States, maintaining the status quo ante in the Taiwan Strait is an integral part of the rules-based order. The United States and Japan have linked it to their own security. Even though Taiwan has no formal diplomatic relations with the majority of the nations in the Indo-Pacific region, it is an intrinsic part of the regional dynamics, particularly in trade, investment, and regional supply chain contexts. Taiwan has been trying to regain its political and diplomatic position in recent years, especially under the Tsai Ing-wen administration. In that context, the Taiwan government has been reiterating the need to collaborate with the Indo-Pacific countries to safeguard a rules-based order and secure a more resilient and peaceful Indo-Pacific community. Taiwan's advocacy for an open, transparent, inclusive, rules-based order is backed by its good governance practices domestically and non-confrontational approaches externally. A region as diverse as the Indo-Pacific, where like-minded countries face a range of shared and divergent concerns and interests, needs to be truly inclusive to find solutions to traditional and non-traditional security challenges. Furthermore, the China-US rivalry, with Taiwan as a major factor between the two, is shaping the Indo-Pacific discourse. This article discusses Taiwan's centrality in the Indo-Pacific dynamics, particularly regarding the region's major power politics.