An installment of the Edgerton Series on Responding to a Rising China, on what an increasingly forceful China means for the United States and Taiwan.

Featuring:

Ambassador Chas W. Freeman, Jr., Chair, Projects International, Inc.

Ambassador Freeman is a career diplomat (retired) who was Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs from 1993-94, earning the highest public service awards of the Department of Defense for his roles in designing a NATO-centered post-Cold War European security system and in reestablishing defense and military relations with China. Ambassador Freeman worked as Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d’Affaires in the American embassies at both Bangkok (1984-1986) and Beijing (1981-1984). He was Director for Chinese Affairs at the U.S. Department of State from 1979-1981. He was the principal American interpreter during the late President Nixon’s path-breaking visit to China.

Moderator:

Marissa Moran, Chief Communications Officer, Pacific Council on International Policy

Marissa Moran has dedicated her decade-long career to the intersection of media, communications, and social impact.

Background:

China is getting tough on Taiwan, and the U.S. response will have consequences that reach far into the future. To date, Taiwan has intercepted more than twice as many Chinese warplanes in 2020 than it did in the whole of 2019. China’s increasingly assertive posture towards the island has been assumed against the backdrop of deteriorating U.S.-Sino relations, and growing U.S. support for Taiwan. As Beijing continues to step up its military activities against the island, it is creating the conditions for crisis and risking decades of peace. Join us as we explore what an increasingly forceful China means for the United States and Taiwan, what options are available to the island, and how the United States should respond.

The Edgerton Series on Responding to a Rising China aims to provide proactive and forward-looking solutions to some of the most complex local, regional, and global issues facing the United States and China today, through regular engagement in debates and discussions with the foremost experts in Chinese affairs. The Edgerton Series is made possible by generous support from the Edgerton Foundation. We thank Dr. Bradford and Ms. Louise Edgerton for their continued support of and dedication to the Pacific Council.