Chinese leader Xi Jinping has long made it clear that he wants Taiwan to be reintegrated with China, by force if necessary. All evidence points towards the People’s Republic developing the military means to do so, or at least to give it a try. The US has long maintained a policy of “strategic ambiguity” about what it would do in the case of an invasion, but with Trump in office, there are early signs his administration will take a stronger stance on the island’s autonomy.
Any conflict over the island has the potential to drag in the West, risking a major war unlike anything seen since World War II.
Our week-long Taiwan Tour explores the prospects of that conflict and looks at how Taiwan, one of the most resilient democracies in the region, is planning to defend itself. With a pro-independence party in power, Taiwan doesn’t look like it will give in to China without a fight – will its resolve be put to the test in the future? Or is there a path to peace with China?
Taiwan Tour: Background
Roughly the size of the Netherlands, Taiwan sits 100 miles off the coast of mainland China. In 1949, China’s communist party defeated the Nationalists under General Chiang Kai-shek, causing them to flee to Taiwan. For decades thereafter, the Republic of China, based out of Taiwan, claimed the entirety of mainland China, although it ceded those claims in the 1990s.
China’s communist party has long maintained a “one China” policy that claims that Taiwan is part of mainland China. The United States and many other countries have recognized the “one China” policy, although they have also refrained from explicitly recognizing China’s rights over Taiwan. For years, the United States has maintained a policy called “strategic ambiguity” wherein it pays lip service to “one China” but has also provided arms and aid to Taiwan. The question that may strongly influence China’s intentions with Taiwan is under what conditions would the US military come to Taiwan’s aid.
Taiwan is a democracy that hosts free and fair elections. In January 2024, Taiwan elected a new president who opposes increased ties to mainland China and supports arming the island to defend itself against a potential invasion. That outcome infuriated China, leading some to believe that an invasion – speculated to be in the works – may be imminent.
Will China invade Taiwan, triggering a crisis that could draw in Western democracies, or is peace possible?
Taiwan Tour: Reading List
“The Struggle for Taiwan: A History of America, China, and the Island Caught Between,” by Sulmaan Wasif Khan
- Publisher: Basic Books (2024)
- Language: English
- Pages: 336
“Rebel Island,” by Jonathan Clements
- Publisher: Scribe US (2024)
- Language: English
- Pages: 320
“The Boiling Moat: Urgent Steps to Defend Taiwan,” by Mike Pottinger
- Publisher: Hoover Institution Press (2024)
- Language: English
- Pages: 288
“The Invention of China,” by Bill Hayton
- Publisher: Yale University Press (2022)
- Language: English
- Pages: 320
Itinerary
Meet at 7 pm for a welcome dinner. Our experts will provide an overview of our Taiwan Tour and a brief introduction to Taiwan’s society, politics, and economy.
Overnight Taipei
We start with an introduction to modern Taiwan – how has the island changed from authoritarian government to a thriving democracy. We visit the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, a national monument commemorating Chiang Kai-shek, former President of the Republic of China. After lunch, we look the issues facing every day people; the country has a booming economcy but many have to cope with rising living costs and high housing prices.
Overnight Taipei
The looming possibility of a conflict with China is on everybody’s minds. We visit a national security and civic defense NGO. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, there has been increased public interest in civilian resilience training in Taiwan. Experts will share insights into Taiwan’s disaster preparedness and defense strategies. We will also meet with political analysts and foreign policy experts to discuss Taiwan’s position in the U.S.-China-Taiwan geopolitical landscape, especially under Taiwan’s current government.
Overnight Taipei
Barely 10 kilometers from the Chinese mainland, Kinmen will be the first part of Taiwan that is hit in a conflict with China. It’s been here many times before: a historic battleground between Communist and Nationalist forces when the latter withdrew from the mainland in 1949. The Kinmen locals lived under martial law from 1956 to 1992 and experienced the famous Battle of Guningtou as well as the 823 Artillery Battle. Kinmen was heavily bombarded by the People’s Liberation Army during the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1958. We will meet with local families, businesses, and veterans to explore the identity and daily life of the frontline island with view of the Chinese cities of Xiamen and Quanzhou.
Overnight Kinmen
Please get in contact with us to confirm which flight best fits the tours schedule
Back in Taipei for a day, we continue exploring some of the same themes from before. We meet with journalists, security experts, and possibly politicians to learn more about how the capital is preparing for war.
Overnight Taipei
Taiwan’s economic miracle is well known: it produces around 90% of the world’s most advanced semiconductors. We will visit the industrial park in Hsinchu, which has become synonymous with Taiwan’s flagship semiconductor industry. It is also where TSMC headquarters is at. We will meet with tech industry leaders and research institutes to learn about Taiwan’s role in global R&D and innovation.
Overnight Taipei
The final two days of the tour are spent meeting leading political analysts and politcians. We will see political party representatives, think tank experts, and NGOs to gain insights into the policies of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and opposition Kuomintang (KMT). We also learn about Taiwan’s challenges as it tries to navigate U.S.-China relations.
Overnight Taipei
The last day of the tour cooincides with the 2025 Taiwan LGBT+ Pride that starts from the city hall and moves through the Taipei streets. It will likely attract close to 200,000 eventgoers based on past years’ experiences. Then to wrap up our tour we head to Maokong Gondola to Taipei’s former tea-growing region, famous for Tie Guanyin and Baozhong teas.
Over a farewell dinner, we will reflect on the week’s experiences. Is Taiwan really ready for a conflict with China?
Overnight Taipei
Tour ends. Breakfast & departures.
Meet Your Expert
Wei-ting Yen is Assistant Research Fellow at the Institute of Political Science at Academia Sinica (IPSAS) in Taipei and a lecturer at National Taiwan University. She was previously an Assistant Professor in the Department of Government at Franklin and Marshall College in the United States and is currently a Public Intellectuals Program Fellow at the National Committee on U.S.–China Relations. Trained as a political economist, she studies governance and welfare state development in Asia, with a focus on how economic insecurity shapes social policy and democratic resilience.
Her first major research project, based on her Ph.D. dissertation at The Ohio State University, examines the micro-level foundations of welfare states in new democracies, earning an Honorable Mention for the John Heinz Dissertation Award from the National Academy of Social Insurance. Her second line of research investigates the political economy of COVID-19 governance in Asia, analyzing how developmental states mobilized resources and maintained public trust during crises.
Wei-Ting’s work has appeared in journals such as Governance, Social Science Quarterly, Policy and Politics, and the Journal of East Asian Studies. She also contributes public commentary to outlets including Foreign Affairs, The Washington Post, Brookings Institution, and The Diplomat, bridging academic research and policy debates.
In addition to her research, she serves as Associate Editor for Policy Reviews at Asian Politics and Policy and frequently lectures internationally on welfare reform, gender equality, and democratic governance. Her scholarship combines comparative political economy and East Asian studies to illuminate how states can enhance social protection and resilience amid economic and political uncertainty.
Wei-Ting Yen’s current work continues to link empirical research with public dialogue, advancing understanding of how democracy, welfare, and state capacity evolve in Asia’s changing political landscape.
Essentials
Temperatures in Taipei in October range from 20-23°C during the day to 15-18°C at night.
The maximum size of our groups is 14 people, ensuring the small-group experience.
We provide genuine learning experiences through the eyes and ears of an expert, politician, or journalist.
Accommodation, meals (breakfast, lunch, and most dinners), and water are all included in tour package.
Our Taiwan tour starts and ends in Taipei, Taiwan’s capital city.
The New Taiwan Dollar (TWD) is the currency used. Most Western credit cards are accepted.
Tour includes
The Taiwan tour includes all of your accommodations, meals with water, and local transport whilst on tour. We will have one free evening without a covered dinner.
You are accompanied throughout the tour including at meals by your leader and Political Tours team. All meetings with various speakers and guests are included. On any tour you meet numerous different speakers giving you access to all sides of the story. We give you access to political experts, as well as getting to see ordinary life and meet real people in areas less often travelled by tourists.
The tour excludes any flights, visas, transfers from/to the airport, alcohol/other drinks, as well as any of your personal expenses.
Accommodations
Four star hotels throughout the tour.
Do I need a Visa?
Citizens of the United States, the UK, and Australia can enter Taiwan without a visa and stay for up to 90 days. Passports must be valid for the duration of the trip, but there is no six-month validity requirement.
If you are not a national of those three countries, please consult this list to determine your visa eligibility status.
FCO Website – Travel Advice
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office publishes regularly updated travel information on its website (www.fco.gov.uk/knowbeforeyougo) which you are recommended to consult before booking and in good time before departure. Where it considers it appropriate to do so, the FCO may advise against all travel or all but essential travel to particular countries or parts of particular countries. Similarly, the FCO may withdraw any such previously given advice. Where the FCO issues such advice, we may as a result cancel your tour or make changes so as to avoid the area concerned (see clause 10). Alternatively, we may ask you to sign a form confirming you wish to proceed with the tour notwithstanding the FCO advice. It is in the nature of the itineraries we offer that the FCO may have issued such advice in relation to the country or parts of the country we are intending to visit prior to confirmation of your booking. In this case, you will be asked to sign the above form before we confirm your booking.
Medical Requirements
Advice on health requirements may be obtained from your GP, or alternatively from the Department of Health leaflet Advice on Health for Travelers, or the Department of Health in the UK. For further information on vaccination requirements, health outbreaks and general disease protection and prevention you should visit http://www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk/destinations.aspx.
Currency
The New Taiwan Dollar (TWD) is the currency used. You can exchange British pounds for TWD ahead of time, at airports, or at hotels. ATMs are also available, and local banks will also exchange currency for a modest fee. Most establishments also accept credit cards. Please inform your credit card company ahead of time that you are traveling, or they may suspect fraud and freeze your card.
Weather
Temperatures in Taipei in October range from 20-23°C during the day to 15-18°C at night. Expect a fairly high chance of rain – about 40% for any given day during that time of year.
Dress
Light layers are necessary. It is also recommended that you bring rain gear.
Men: Will need a jacket and tie for some of the meetings.
Women: Will need some smarter attire for one or two meetings.
Electricity
Taiwan uses two plug types, A and B. Type A has two flat parallel pins; Type B has two flat parallel pins and a grounding pin (like what is used in the US). Come prepared with both types.
“War with China” with Lev Nachman
Join us in Taiwan
Interested in joining our tours? Leave your name to receive our emails, and a member of our team will be in touch about Taiwan!
