Dr. T.Y. Wang, university professor and chair of politics and government, presented at an Asian Expert Workshop virtually on April 7, 2022. Titled “China’s long game over Taiwan: understanding China’s levers of influence,” the workshop is sponsored by the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Singapore.
Employing survey data collected during the past two decades, Wang indicates that China’s military threat against Taiwan and Beijing’s repressive responses to the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong have heightened Taiwan citizens’ threat perception. They see the communist government in Beijing as a hostile regime.
To protect their freedom and democratic way of life, Wang said, Taiwan citizens have increasingly changed their moderate attitude to a more confrontational position. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine seems to harden Taiwan citizens’ determination to resist China’s military threat, according to Wang.
