Productively Engaging The Taiwan Strait Conflict: A Participatory Workshop

Authors:

Abstract: Tensions between Taiwan, China, and the United States can affect us on a deeply personal level. Our positions on the Taiwan Strait conflict touch on fundamental questions of identity, history, dignity, and power. Discussions between people on different sides of the conflict, at venues like college campuses and policy forums, are becoming more frequent and yet more heated. At its core, conflict does not need to be destructive. It can also productive and necessary for progress if done well. In the face of disagreement, how can we interact with others on the Taiwan Strait conflict while remaining authentic to our identities and keeping doors open for continued engagement at the same time? This workshop is a crash course in the conflict transformation and engagement methods behind Strait Talk, a global dialogue program for young professionals from Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, and the United States. Workshop facilitators share their experience running the 17-year program through interactive activities, participant discussion, and reflections from alumni of the program currently involved in Taiwan and broader Asia policy. The goal is to introduce skills in centering the identities of ourselves and others, maintaining relationships amidst disagreement, and channeling conflict into productive dialogue. These skills can be applied reflexively in our own research and practice about conflict management in heated socio-political controversies and international issues like the Taiwan Strait conflict, and help bridge divides and create space for engagement on these issues in our communities and workplaces.

Track: POLI

Keywords: International issues, Identity and politics, Practice in conflict magement, Taiwan, US-China relations