"U.S. Allies and the Taiwan Strait" - by CWP alum Adam Liff

Against the backdrop of worsening tensions across the Taiwan Strait, this Element analyzes the positions and policies vis-à-vis Taiwan of six major democratic US treaty allies-Japan, Australia, South Korea, the United Kingdom, France, Germany-and the European Union. Historically and today, these US partners have exercised far greater agency supporting Taiwan's international space and cross-Strait stability-in key instances even blazing early trails Washington would later follow-than the overwhelmingly US-centric academic and policy discourse generally suggests. Decades ago, each crafted an intentionally ambiguous official position regarding Taiwan's status that effectively granted subsequent political leaders considerable flexibility to operationalize their government's 'One China' policy and officially 'unofficial' relationship with Taiwan. Today, intensifying cross-Strait frictions ensure that US allies' policy choices will remain critical factors affecting the status quo's sustainability and democratic Taiwan's continued viability as an autonomous international actor. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Series: Elements in Politics and Society in East Asia  -  DOI: https://doi.org/[Opens in a new window]

Online ISBN: 9781009405638  -  Publisher: Cambridge University Press  -  Print publication: 31 January 2026

Adam P. Liff is a nonresident senior fellow with the Center for Asia Policy Studies at Brookings. Liff is based at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, where he is Professor of East Asian International Relations and founding director of the 21st Century Japan Politics and Society Initiative. He is also the former Visiting Chair of Japanese Politics and Foreign Policy at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service.

Liff’s research examines international security and foreign policy challenges in East Asia—with a particular focus on Japanese politics and foreign (especially defense) policy; the U.S.-Japan alliance; U.S. treaty allies and Taiwan; U.S. Asia-Pacific strategy; and U.S.-Japan-China relations. He holds a doctorate and master’s in politics from Princeton University, a postgraduate research certificate in international politics from the University of Tokyo, and a bachelor’s with honors and distinction from Stanford University.

Photo Credit: https://www.cambridge.org/core/elements/us-allies-and-the-taiwan-strait/EA653A2841F5EB0A12120161B11A54B0