Countering China’s Economic Coercion: From A Medium-Sized State Perspective with Christina Lai

03.21.2022 - Christaina Lai
Over the last decades, China has punished countries that undermine its territorial claims and foreign policy goals with measures such as restricting trade, encouraging popular boycotts, and cutting off tourism. These coercive measures have caused significant economic damage to U.S. partners such as Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, and South Korea. China’s economic sanctions may also have long-term effects in deterring and shaping countries’ foreign policy interests that go well beyond the short-term economic costs.

The talk will highlight how Taiwan responds to China’s economic sanctions. It demonstrates the agency of medium-sized countries in the shadow of a great power The second part of this presentation offers initial thoughts on establishing a trade pact in the Asia-Pacific region to counter China’s unilateral economic sanctions. More specifically, Taiwan and Australia have much to offer the rest of the world regarding how to respond to China’s economic coercion. Strong cooperation among Taiwan, Australia, the U.S., and Asian countries can also establish the basis for a coordinated strategy in addressing China’s sanctions.

Christina Lai bio

Christina Lai is a junior research fellow in the Institute of Political Science at Academia Sinica, Taiwan. She is also an adjunct lecturer in Global Security Studies at Johns Hopkins University.She received her Ph.D. in International Relations from Georgetown University, and she was a post-doctoral fellow in the China and the World program at Princeton University from 2015 to 2016.

Her research interests include Chinese foreign policy, East Asian security, and qualitative methods. Her works have appeared in the Politics, Political Science, Journal of Contemporary China, Pacific Review, International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, Asian Survey, and Asian Security.