An insightful, thought-provoking Summer School

Francesco Lorenzo Morandi

Between June 16 and 20, I had the privilege of attending the 2025 EUVIP Summer School “Navigating Geostrategic Dynamics in the Indo-Pacific: Focus on Taiwan” at Palacký University Olomouc, Czech Republic. The programme, open to PhD candidates and advanced MA students with a background in social sciences and area studies, comprised a series of panels that explored both the wider dynamics of the Indo-Pacific region—emphasising Insular Studies and the geostrategic role of the People’s Republic of China in Southeast Asia—and the specific features of Taiwan.

Although all the sessions were engaging and very thought provoking—particularly those on the Austronesian history of Taiwan and human rights issues—I was especially drawn to the panels delivered by Dr. Rosalie Chen (Dominican University), given my primary interests in the security dynamics characterizing the Indo-Pacific region, cross-Strait relations, and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) modernization process. Dr. Chen’s lectures offered a comprehensive, in-depth analysis of Taiwan’s national identity, the evolution of cross-Strait relations—including insights into the economic interdependence between China and Taiwan and the current military tensions between them—as well as U.S.–Taiwan relations.

Of particular interest was Univ.-Prof. Dr. Susanne Weigelin-Schwiedrzik’s lecture (University of Vienna), which traced the evolution from the so-called Sino-centric tributary system to the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere and redefined the former “tributary states”—once under Qing China’s influence and later dominated by Japan—as dynamic “contact zones” shaped by shifting power constellations. This framework was also applied to Taiwan, described as a “contact zone” across East Asian history: between Europe and Asia in the 16th century, the Qing Empire and Japan in the 19th century, and East Asia and the United States since the end of World War II.

Among the other topics covered, I found the insights into China’s strategic rationale behind the so-called “reunification” with Taiwan particularly compelling. I also had the opportunity to discuss my own views on the PLA’s modernization and potential Chinese operations in the Taiwan Strait with Univ.-Prof. Weigelin-Schwiedrzik. It proved to be an engaging and enriching exchange.

Moreover, I found the final exercise—a crisis simulation in the Taiwan Strait involving Taiwan, the United States, and the PRC, organised by Prof. Julie Yu-Wen Chen (University of Helsinki)—particularly engaging, realistic, and immersive. To conclude, I am thoroughly satisfied to have participated in this Summer School; it was an invaluable opportunity to significantly deepen and broaden my knowledge on Taiwan and, more generally, on the Indo-Pacific region as a whole.