While this investigation merely scratches the surface at best on the manifestations and drivers of the “two Taiwans” discourse drift in Taiwan affairs between Washington and Taipei, this author hopes that this series offers some ways to encourage more conversations on how to recognize and address these gaps.
While Taiwan is compartmentalized in very specific discussions in the U.S. government, the U.S. is a comprehensive intersectional subject across Taiwan government agencies.
Taiwan is often framed in contradictory terms – from being simultaneously the most dangerous place on earth to its most friendly and hospitable, from being a critical hub for technological innovation to being a global supply chain risk, or from being a reliable democratic global leader to being a political flashpoint whose domestic expression of democracy complicates relations between world powers.