The agency of Taiwan: the front line of US-China rivalry

Laia Comerma, investigadora posdoctoral, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Bélgica). Laia.comerma@vub.be. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7517-202

Taking a historical perspective, this paper examines the main limits and sources of Taiwan’s agency and autonomy in its foreign economic policy in a context of non-sovereignty because of the “one China policy”. Amid the strategic rivalry between the United States and China, Taiwan uses cutting-edge sectors of its national economy to forge and consolidate a network of alliances at both regional and international level. To do so, its main tool is the institutionalisation of bilateral relations with its various allies through economic agreements, which illustrate the limits of its agency and of the political will of its allies. Nevertheless, in the midst of a global trend towards economic security and strategic autonomy, Taiwan has adopted a strategy of “intelligent diplomacy” to devise innovative and flexible solutions to promote its regional interests and its external trade policy.

Keywords: Taiwan, China, United States, agency, autonomy, economic cooperation, rivalry, trade agreements, geopolitics, economic security, international relations

How to cite this article: Comerma, Laia. «La agencia de Taiwán: la primera línea en la rivalidad Estados Unidos-China». Revista CIDOB d’Afers Internacionals, n.º 141 (diciembre de 2025), p. 91-110. DOI: doi.org/10.24241/rcai.2025.141.3.92

Revista CIDOB d’Afers Internacionals, nº 141
Quadrimestral (Octobe-December 2025)
ISSN:1133-6595 | E-ISSN:2013-035X
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24241/rcai.2025.141.3.91
 

Reception date: 12.03.25 ; Acceptance date:  23.08.25

>> The full-text articles in this issue are currently available only in Spanish