ABSTRACT
Taiwan's security is inextricably linked to the strategic stability and preservation of the regional order in the Indo-Pacific region. For the leading Indo-Pacific powers, particularly the United States, maintaining the status quo ante in the Taiwan Strait is an integral part of the rules-based order. The US and Japan have linked it to their own security. Notwithstanding the fact that Taiwan has no formal diplomatic relations with the majority of the nations in the Indo-Pacific region, it is an intrinsic part of the regional dynamics, particularly in trade, investment, and regional supply chain contexts. In recent years, especially under the Tsai Ing-wen administration, Taiwan has been trying to regain its political and diplomatic position. It is in that context that the Taiwan government has been reiterating the need to collaborate with the Indo-Pacific countries to safeguard a rules-based order and secure a more resilient and peaceful Indo-Pacific community. Taiwan's advocacy for an open, transparent, inclusive rules-based order is backed by its good governance practices domestically and non-confrontational approaches externally. A region as diverse as the Indo-Pacific, where like-minded countries are faced with a range of both shared and divergent concerns and interests, needs to be truly inclusive to find solutions to traditional and non-traditional security challenges. Furthermore, the China–US rivalry, with Taiwan as a major factor between the two, is shaping the Indo-Pacific discourse. Against this backdrop, this chapter discusses Taiwan's centrality in the Indo-Pacific dynamics, particularly with regard to the major power politics in the region.
