China is conducting an intimidatingly large war game just off Taiwan — a response to the island’s new president visiting Guam and Hawaii. The drama over this seemingly innocuous trip will make sense if you read The Taiwan Story by eminent Sinologist Kerry Brown.
Kerry talks to Aaron about the history behind the dispute, its potential to throw the world into chaos if things turn violent, and the uncertainty created by Donald Trump’s return. He believes that rather than try to “solve” things, leaders need to rediscover the value of diplomatic ambiguity.
Aaron and Kerry also touch on his career as a diplomat, his experiences teaching in China in the 1990s, and whether or not Xi Xinping is as good looking as Trump claims…
If you want to buy The Taiwan Story or any of Kerry’s other books, visit the strategyaaron Bookshop page: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/strategyaaron
Other links:
Kerry’s site
Aaron’s site | Bluesky | Instagram
This week’s recommended read is
’s latest piece about the increasing difficulty for companies to avoid tariffs.
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