By:
Ghulam Ali
In April, China stunned Taiwan by allegedly pressuring three African states—Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar—to revoke overflight permission for President Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) planned flight to Eswatini, just hours before take-off. Bloomberg reported that Taipei attempted to reroute Lai’s flight via Europe, but both Germany and the Czech Republic also denied last-minute access. A week later, however, Lai surprised observers by suddenly announcing his arrival in Eswatini for a four-day visit. Consequently, Beijing issued an unusual condemnation of Eswatini.
By:
Nouroz Khan Bijarani
In this rapidly evolving world, great powers are increasingly dictating terms. This presents middle powers with a stark choice: unite or be marginalized. Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada, neatly summarized this sentiment during his speech at the January 2026 World Economic Forum: “Middle powers must act together because if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu.” This statement rings loudly in the Indo-Pacific, with countries such as Japan, Australia, India, and some ASEAN members diversifying partnerships and enhancing self-reliance alongside escalating Sino-US tensions. Because of the fears triggered by the aggression of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, these realignments are giving Taiwan a strategic window between 2026 and 2030 to reorient itself in a changing order. During the coming half-decade, Taipei has an opportunity to capitalize on strategic realignment to expand its economic strength, develop its deterrence power, and establish deeper diplomatic relationships.
By:
Cara Bilson
Benjamin Sando
While economists and trade specialists were watching eagerly for developments emerging from the May 13-15 Trump-Xi summit, other sets of eyes were watching the events with apprehension: policymakers in Taiwan, as well as observers of cross-Strait policy in the broader global community. This article will analyze the developments salient to Taiwan that emerged before, during, and after President Donald Trump’s summit meeting in Beijing with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Chairman Xi Jinping.
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