Taiwan von links (verstehen) – taz Talk über Konflikt um Taiwan

The conflict between a capitalist bloc around the USA and one around the People's Republic of China has come to a head in recent years. In the near future, it could escalate over the Taiwan issue, including war. Such an escalation would affect us all.

Some on the left support the position of the Chinese Communist Party. It wants to take over the island of Taiwan, which it considers to be part of the People's Republic of China. Others on the left support the capitalist "West", which wants to defend Taiwan as its own zone of influence.

Anyone who wants to develop an alternative position should not only take a closer look at the geopolitical conflict, but also at Taiwan's role in the world system and the change in class relations in Taiwan itself.

Social researcher and China expert Ralf Ruckus addresses these four points in particular in the talk:

■ the capitalist development from Japanese colonization to the development of the export industry as a "tiger state" to the expansion of Taiwanese capital into Southeast Asia and the People's Republic of China

■ the "guest worker" regime in Taiwan and previous forms of racist division

■ the current economic and geostrategic importance of Taiwan for global capitalism

■ the question of how a left critique of capitalist conditions in Taiwan can be linked to a critique of both "Western" and Chinese imperialism

Guest in the talk:

🐾 Ralf Ruckus is currently investigating the situation of Southeast Asian migrant workers in Taiwan. He is the author of "The communist road to capitalism. How social unrest and its containment have driven China's development since 1949" (2024) and "Die Linke in China. An introduction" (2023).

🐾 Sven Hansen will moderate the talk. He is Asia editor of taz and organizes Han Sens Asientalk.

This taz Talk is part of the Han Sens Asientalk series.

Event information: