Taiwan at Crossroad: Unprecedented Internal and External Challenges

A Discussion Over Lunch with Lo Chih-Chiang

Please RSVP with Jessica Palacios at jessica.palacios@inta.gatech.edu.

Cross-Taiwan Strait relations have moved from a period of peace, stability, and trust in 2008-2016 to a period of instability, mistrust, and mounting tension since 2016. President Ma Ying-jeou's Mainland China policy mitigated rivalry and hostility, but his alleged "pro-China" image gradually eroded his power base and popularity. President Tsai Ing-wen reversed President Ma's Mainland China policy, and with the help of Hong Kong's anti-extradition protest, President Tsai and the Democratic Progressive Party successfully built an image as the guardian of democracy and protector of Taiwan's identity and dignity. The talk will conclude with a discussion on the uncharted waters facing cross-strait relations that are full of deep hostility and undercurrents of mistrust against the backdrop of unpredictable developments in the U.S.-China relations.

Lo Chih-Chiang is a member of the Taipei City Council. In 2012-2013, he was the deputy secretary-general to then-Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou. In 2010-2011, he was the spokesperson of Taiwan's Presidential Office. He was also the deputy chief executive officer of Ma's re-election campaign in 2011-2012. He was a visiting scholar at Harvard Law School from 2015 to 2016.

The event is sponsored by the Center for International Strategy, Technology, and Policy and the China Research Center.