Cross-Strait Stakes

About the Event

The strategic assumptions embedded in the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act emerged from a context in which political alignment, economic interdependence, and military capabilities across the U.S.–Taiwan–China triangle were fundamentally different from today. What was once a relatively stable, if uneasy, status quo has given way to a far more contested environment shaped by sharpened political rhetoric, asymmetric economic and diplomatic leverage, and accelerating security risks.

Triangular relations now unfold amid complex regional and global dynamics: heightened security anxieties following U.S. military actions abroad, the resumption of Chinese naval and air exercises around Taiwan, and fluctuations in economic ties driven by shifts in global trade and energy policies. Domestic politics add further nuance to the landscape. Taiwan’s local elections and the United States’ 2026 midterms introduce new leadership and policy uncertainties, while newly elected KMT Chair Cheng Liwun’s stated commitment to sustain peace through simultaneous engagement with both Washington and Beijing adds another layer to cross-Strait signaling. At the same time, deepening political polarization continues to strain democratic institutions in both Taiwan and the United States, shaping policy debates and limiting strategic flexibility. Together, these political, economic, and security dynamics define a triangular relationship in which miscalculation risks are rising and the broader strategic balance remains in flux.Together, these political, economic, and security dynamics define a triangular relationship in which miscalculation risks are rising and the broader strategic balance remains in flux.Together, these political, economic, and security dynamics define a triangular relationship in which miscalculation risks are rising and the broader strategic balance remains in flux.

What are the political, economic, and security undercurrents that are most substantially shaping U.S.-China-Taiwan triangular relations in 2026? To address this question, the Sigur Center is convening a panel of experts who will explore how these dynamics interact to shape strategic choices, crisis‑management risks, and opportunities for productive engagement in 2026.

About the Speakers

John Dotson is the director at GTI. He has served previously as a US Navy officer, as a staff member of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, and as an editor of the Jamestown Foundation’s publication China Brief. John has performed extensive writing and research on a range of political and national security issues related to US policy in East Asia, to include Chinese propaganda and united front work, elite politics within the Chinese Communist Party, military-civil fusion efforts within the People’s Liberation Army, and Taiwan defense policy. He is a proficient Mandarin linguist, who has performed extensive original research in indigenous Chinese language sources. John holds an M.A. in National Security Studies (with “highest distinction”) from the US Naval War College, and a Master of International Public Policy from Johns Hopkins-SAIS.

Dr. Yan Chang Bennett is a seasoned subject-matter expert in foreign policy and international law, contributing to academic schoalrship and practical applications of international affairs. Currently serving as the Deputy Chair of Global Issues (KCK, Inc) at the U.S. Department of State’s Foreign Service Institute, Dr. Bennett shapes the education of diplomats on key global and transnational issues critical to American foreign policy. With a rich background that includes experience as a tenured Foreign Service Officer serving in Singapore, China, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and bridge assignments at the Department, she has deep practical experience in political/economic issues as well as front office experience as Special Assistant to a U.S. Ambassador.

Following her Foreign Service career, Dr. Bennett pivoted to a career in higher education, including research and scholarship on American foreign policy, contemporary Chinese politics, international law and multilateralism in the 21st Century. Concurrent to her work at FSI, she teaches at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University and the School of International Service at American University on such courses as Law and Diplomacy and UN and the International System, the UN Reimagined, China’s Global Ambitions, and International Law. Dr. Bennett also teaches Chinese Politics, Chinese Policy, and the Belt and Road Initiative for other government clients. Previously, she has taught 21st Century U.S. Diplomacy and the History of American Diplomacy at Illinois State University. At Princeton University, Dr. Bennett implemented programs on the study of China and a study abroad seminar to China. Dr. Bennett’s work is complemented by her prolific scholarship on U.S.-China relations and global security, making her an invaluable resource for students seeking to gain a deeper perspective on foreign policy, the international system, and U.S.-China relations. She holds an MA in international affairs from the Elliott School, a JD in law, and a PhD in American diplomatic history.

Her current research projects include United Nations reform, global AI policy, and US presidential policies on China. Her book, , is out now.

Vincent Wei-cheng Wang is currently Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Adelphi University in Garden City, New York. He has a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Chicago, an M.A. in International Relations and Asian Studies from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, and a B.A. in Political Science from National Taiwan University.

He is the author of over seventy scholarly articles and book chapters on Asian political economy, security, international relations, East Asian-Latin American comparative development, Taiwan's foreign policy and domestic politics, cross-strait relations, and Chinese foreign policy and domestic politics. His most recent publications include “The Eagle Eyes the Dragon and the Elephant: American Perspectives on the Rise of China and the Rise of India,” Asian Politics & Policy (2014), “Financial Crisis and Asia’s Changing Balance of Power,” in Power in a Changing World Economy: Lessons from East Asia (London: Routledge, 2013); “’Chindia’ or Rivalry? Rising China, Rising India, and Contending Perspectives on Indian-China Relations,” and “Asian Perspective" (2011). Dr. Wang taught at the University of Richmond for over 20 years and the University of Miami. He has been a visiting professor at National Chengchi University (2010) and National Sun Yat-sen University (2003) in Taiwan, and Colégio de México in Mexico (1991), and has been a visiting researcher in South Korea (Institute of Far Eastern Studies, 1990) and Singapore (East Asian Institute, 2007). He was President of the American Association for Chinese Studies, President of International Studies Association-South, Coordinator of American Political Science Association’s Conference Group on Taiwan Studies from 2005-7 and has been a Fellow of the Philadelphia-based think tank Foreign Policy Research Institute since 2011.

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