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Carving Out a Role in a New Asian Order

The Senkaku/Diaoyu/Diaoyutai Islands are the single biggest manifestation of a changing dynamic between China and Japan, symbolizing how the two countries are at loggerheads to be identified as the ultimate Asian power. Shihoko Goto discusses how Taiwan fits into the situation in a piece written for the Defense Security Brief.

Carving Out a Role in a New Asian Order

Tensions in the East China Sea show no signs of abating, with neither Mainland China (hereinafter referred to as China) nor Japan backing down from their claims of ownership of the disputed Islands. While the intrinsic value of the islands themselves can be questioned, the risk of conflict between the region’s two biggest powers over them should not be underestimated. In fact, the Senkaku/Diaoyu/Diaoyutai Islands are the single biggest manifestation of a changing dynamic between the two countries, symbolizing how Japan and China are at loggerheads to be identified as the ultimate Asian power. But while the regional giants struggle to balance the need to ensure stability in the Asia-Pacific on the one hand, and ensure their stake in a changing regional balance of power on the other, there is an unprecedented opportunity for the Republic of China on Taiwan (hereinafter referred to as Taiwan) to play a key role as a peace broker and redefine its own identity.

Read the rest of the article in Defense Security Brief on the Ministry of National Defense website.

Contributor

Shihoko Goto

Shihoko Goto

Director, Indo-Pacific Program

Shihoko Goto is the director the Indo-Pacific Program at the Wilson Center. Her research focuses on the economics and politics of Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea, as well as US policy in Northeast Asia. A seasoned journalist and analyst, she has reported from Tokyo and Washington for Dow Jones and UPI on the global economy, international trade, and Asian markets. A columnist for The Diplomat magazine and contributing editor to The Globalist, she was previously a donor country relations officer for the World Bank and has been awarded fellowships from the East-West Center and the Knight Foundation, among others.

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Indo-Pacific Program

The Indo-Pacific Program promotes policy debate and intellectual discussions on US interests in the Asia-Pacific as well as political, economic, security, and social issues relating to the world’s most populous and economically dynamic region.   Read more