Event series "China's Long March - Between Tradition and Modernity, Surveillance State and Global Superpower", 14.06.2023

The topic of Taiwan moves society. In the series of events "China's Long March - Between Tradition and Modernity, Surveillance State and Global Superpower", Dr Josie-Marie Perkuhn gave a lecture on "Taiwan and China - a Conflict of Global Reach" (in German)at the Catholic Education Centre in Darmstadt on 14 June 2023.

Her lecture dealt with the current explosiveness due to the increasing tensions, strategic considerations and the question of a possible invasion against the background of the political development, the history of Taiwan's democracy. Driven by the idea of participatory politics, Taiwan's people have embarked on the path of digitalisation and are gaining global importance through the semiconductor industry.

When Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen in the summer of 2022, Beijing perceived it as a provocation. The signal to strengthen democracy was commented on with the appropriate sabre-rattling. Military exercises and a show of force of hitherto unseen quality followed. Although the mood among the Taiwanese population remained largely calm, the Far Eastern conflict has reached a global scope. The island is important both because of its geo-strategic significance for security in the Indo-Pacific region and for the global production of key innovation technologies. Voices warn of confrontational escalation that could lead us into a world war: because the political system is also at stake. How did this come about and what are the prospects for the future?

The series was organised in cooperation with the vhs Darmstadt, the Protestant Deanery as well as the Catholic Education Centre and the Asta of Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences. Presumably, therefore, no uniform title could be found for the lecture, which was also advertised under the question "Why China is threatening Taiwan Beijing's Pacific plans - a threat to world peace?" [Link].

Announcement of the lecture

Flyer for the event