Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2025
Publication Title
Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs
Keywords
strategic ambiguity, strategic clarity, deterrence, Taiwan, Joseph Biden, Donald Trump
Abstract
Observers have noted that Washington’s policy of ‘strategic ambiguity’ aims not only to deter China from attacking Taiwan but also to keep Taipei from taking actions that may be deemed provocative by Beijing leaders. Remarks and actions taken by former United States President Joseph Biden seem to place America’s long-held ambiguous policy in doubt. It has been argued that a clear security commitment from Washington is likely to bolster Taiwan citizens’ unrealistic expectations of America’s defence support and their calls for independence, which will certainly invite Beijing’s violent responses. Employing the theory of deterrence and survey data collected in Taiwan during the past 20 years, this article examines this argument. The analysis shows that the policy of strategy ambiguity remains crucial for the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. As China has increasingly turned itself to become a revisionist, Washington’s policy requires a recalibration, and the adjustment does not have to be a binary choice between ambiguity and clarity. Donald Trump’s return to the White House with his transactional approach to international affairs makes US policy towards the Taiwan issue less predictable, potentially leading to a volatile Taiwan Strait during his second term.
Funding Source
This article was published Open Access thanks to a transformative agreement between Milner Library and Sage Journals.
DOI
10.1177/23477970251335139
Recommended Citation
Wang, T. Y. (2025). Strategic Ambiguity or Strategic Clarity: China’s Rise and US Policy Towards the Taiwan Issue. Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs. https://doi.org/10.1177/23477970251335139
Comments
First published in Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs (2025): https://doi.org/10.1177/23477970251335139
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.