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In today’s increasingly tense global landscape, the relationship between powerful nations and smaller, self-governing regions is drawing more attention than ever. One of the clearest examples is the growing strain between China and Taiwan. These tensions have been building for years, with Taiwan regularly facing pressure from Beijing—everything from diplomatic isolation to near-constant military drills by the People’s Liberation Army in the Taiwan Strait. It’s no wonder the region feels on edge. In this post, I’m taking a fresh look at Taiwan and the mounting pressure it’s under from China. Despite its small size, Taiwan plays a massive role in the global tech scene—especially when it comes to producing microchips and other critical components that power our digital world. If the West loses sight of just how important that is, the consequences could be steep. China isn’t just flexing its military strength—it’s rapidly expanding its influence economically and socially, too.    ...

We had an international furore when United States House of Representatives Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, arrived on a state visit to the island of Taiwan on 3rd August 2022. Her visit caused Beijing to react extremely angry. The visit, according to Pelosi was to ''show that America has unwavering commitment to Taiwan.'' However, China condemned this visit as a threat to their "One-China" policy. This was the highest level state visit of a United States representative in 25 years, so we can see why this caused some friction between the two nations.  IS TAIWAN PART OF CHINA? Before we move further, lets look at the history of Taiwan. This small island off the coast of the Fujian province of China, came under Chinese control in the 17th century, under the Qing dynasty. They annexed the island in 1693, but had to cede it to the Empire of Japan in 1895, when they lost the first Sino-Japanese war. After the Second World War, the Republic of China, that overthrew the Qing d...