Promoting Confidence Building across the Taiwan Strait

The advent of a new administration in Taiwan under the leadership of president Ma Ying-jeou and his Kuomintang party has been accompanied by promising prospects for improved relations with the mainland. Recognizing that the role of CBMs is critical to the process of establishing mutual trust, reducing the dangers of accidental conflict, and stabilizing cross-strait ties, authors Bonnie Glaser and Brad Glosserman led a delegation of experts to Taipei and Beijing in April 2008 to hold meetings with experts and officials on potential CBMs in the military, health, and environmental spheres.  The authors and moderator Ralph Cossa will share findings from the project and recommendations for China, Taiwan, and the United States, as well as discuss prospects for and obstacles to continued improvement in cross-strait ties and implications for the United States.