GEOGEOLAB FINALE – TAIWAN STRAIT VOLATILITY & ITS IMPACT ON SOUTHEAST ASIA

Today, IRIS Institute joined as a participant at the final session of the Geopolitics and Geoeconomics Lab (GeoGeolab). The closing event was an exclusive roundtable discussion titled “Taiwan Strait Volatility: Revisionism, Assurance, and Paths toward De-escalation,” held at the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Malaysia office in Petaling Jaya.

The main speaker was Dr. Chen-Dong Tso, a Professor of Political Science from National Taiwan University (NTU). He shared deep insights into the rising tensions across the Taiwan Strait and what they mean for the region.

Two Key Takeaways from Today’s Session:

1) A Local View from Taiwan: This session gave us a great chance to understand the situation directly from a Taiwanese perspective. The current tension is not just about military power. It is actually about a lack of trust and the intense political debates happening inside Taiwan right now, especially with their Local Elections coming up on November 28.

2) Impact on Malaysia-Taiwan Relations: Any political statements or changes in foreign policy by ASEAN countries can cause a real ripple effect. This doesn’t just affect regional security, but it also impacts the economy especially the high-tech supply chain and semiconductor industries that Malaysia is heavily involved in.

Being part of this closed-door discussion helps IRIS Institute stay connected and updated on the big geopolitical issues affecting our region.

Congratulations to the organizers on wrapping up a successful GeoGeolab series! Big thanks to Natalie Russmann (Country Director of KAS Malaysia) for having us, and it was great exchanging ideas with top academic Professor Dr. Kuik Cheng-Chwee and fellow researchers from various local think tanks.

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