Wang Weinan

Wang Weinan

Associate Research Fellow, School of International and Public Affairs; Executive Deputy Director, Center for Taiwan Studies, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Wang Weinan is an associate research fellow at Shanghai Jiao Tong University's School of International and Public Affairs, and executive deputy director of the university’s Center for Taiwan Studies. He received his B.E. from Zhengzhou University and both M. L. and Doctor of Economics from Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences. His current research areas include cross-strait relations, China-US relations, and international strategy. He has published three monographs and one co-authored edited volume. He has so far published more than 30 articles in journals including China Military Science, World Economics and Politics, and Contemporary International Relations. His commentaries appear in Lianhe Zaobao and other mainstream media.

Pedestrians walk through the Shi Lin Night Market in Taipei, Taiwan, on 5 December 2023. (Lam Yik Fei/Bloomberg)

Taiwan issue is one of politics, not jurisprudence

The Cairo Declaration issued 80 years ago became the basis of several international law documents and was backed by substantive procedures for the implementation of the related international laws. Academic Wang Weinan believes that the declaration carries a historical significance that should be considered even today amid the Taiwan issue.
This combination of file pictures created on 11 June 2019 shows US President Donald Trump (left) as he departs the White House, in Washington, DC, on 2 June 2019, and former US Vice President Joe Biden during the kick off his presidential election campaign in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 18 May 2019. (Jim Watson and Dominick Reuter/AFP)

Will the US abandon Taiwan?

Academics Zhou Wenxing and Wang Weinan observe the hard truth that Taiwan is often used as a strategic card to be played in the US’s relationship with China. While Biden seems to be the safer pair of hands on Taiwan policy, if Trump gets re-elected, Taiwan may be entering a game of high risk but high returns. Either way, Taiwan will have to watch for which way the political vane turns, as the winds moving them are rarely in their control.