A potential summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping looms large, casting a long shadow over Taiwan’s future as the island democracy faces heightened geopolitical pressure. This critical diplomatic engagement, anticipated amidst ongoing global power shifts, carries significant implications for Taiwan’s sovereignty, particularly given President Trump’s perceived ambivalence towards the island during his second term.
Historical Context and Cross-Strait Dynamics
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China, has been a self-governing democracy since 1949, when Chinese Nationalists fled to the island after losing a civil war to the Communist Party. Beijing views Taiwan as a renegade province that must be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary, under its
