Taiwan’s Diplomatic Allies in Oceania

Date: Friday, 29 June
Time: 5 - 6pm
Venue: MY 632, Murphy Building, Kelburn Campus, Victoria University of Wellington

Abstract

Among Taiwan’s 18 diplomatic allies, one third is in Oceania. They are Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, the Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu. Why do these small states recognize Taiwan over China, a global power? The speaker will use the three levels of analysis to address the issue. The systemic level will focus on the impact of the international factors — Westphalian sovereignty, the Cold War, and the post-Cold War system. At the domestic level, the role of ideas, economy, and geography will be examined. Finally, the importance of leaders in these countries will be discussed at the individual level.

About the speaker

Shaohua Hu is Associate Professor of Political Science at Wagner College, where he chaired the department (2007-2012) and has coordinated the International Affairs program since 2001. He received his Ph.D. from the American University and his M.A. and B.A. from Peking University. He has taught at Colgate University, Colby College, and the University of Aveiro in Portugal. He was a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a research assistant at the US Institute of Peace, and a Senior Visiting Fellow at National University of Singapore. His publications include Foreign Policies toward Taiwan (Routledge, 2018) and Explaining Chinese Democratization (Praeger, 2000).

Taiwan’s Diplomatic Allies in Oceania (PDF)

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