EPISODE · Aug 4, 2022 · 58 MIN
Another Taiwan Straits Crisis? CIA veteran John Culver weighs in
from Sinica Podcast
In a week dominated by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, Kaiser welcomes John Culver, who served as national intelligence officer for East Asia from 2015 to 2017 and as a CIA analyst focusing on China for 35 years. John offers his perspective on Pelosi's trip and provides important context with a discussion of the last Taiwan Straits Crisis, in 1995-96 — a crisis touched off by Lee Teng-hui's decision to visit Cornell University, his alma mater. John also draws important parallels to the Diaoyu/Senkaku crisis of the fall of 2012, after the Japanese government nationalized the disputed islands.2:47 – A walkthrough of the last Taiwan Strait crisis13:45 – How China's growing capabilities could affect its decision-making in future Taiwan crises19:52 – Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan and the political environment surrounding her decision25:14 – Explaining China's interpretation of U.S. actions and the Chinese domestic political context32:21 – Parallels to the 2012 Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands episode35:22 – The potential fallout of this crisisA complete transcript of this podcast is available at SupChina.com.Recommendations: John: The late Alan Romberg's exegesis of the US-China negotiating record, "Rein In at the Brink of the Precipice" and Ryan Hass's book Stronger: Adapting America’s China Strategy in an Age of Competitive InterdependenceKaiser: Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada — and the town of Canmore as a great place to stay nearby.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
What this episode covers
In a week dominated by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, Kaiser welcomes John Culver, who served as national intelligence officer for East Asia from 2015 to 2017 and as a CIA analyst focusing on China for 35 years. John offers his perspective on Pelosi's trip and provides important context with a discussion of the last Taiwan Straits Crisis, in 1995-96 — a crisis touched off by Lee Teng-hui's decision to visit Cornell University, his alma mater. John also draws important parallels to the Diaoyu/Senkaku crisis of the fall of 2012, after the Japanese government nationalized the disputed islands.2:47 – A walkthrough of the last Taiwan Strait crisis13:45 – How China's growing capabilities could affect its decision-making in future Taiwan crises19:52 – Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan and the political environment surrounding her decision25:14 – Explaining China's interpretation of U.S. actions and the Chinese domestic political context32:21 – Parallels to the 2012 Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands episode35:22 – The potential fallout of this crisisA complete transcript of this podcast is available at SupChina.com.Recommendations: John: The late Alan Romberg's exegesis of the US-China negotiating record, "Rein In at the Brink of the Precipice" and Ryan Hass's book Stronger: Adapting America’s China Strategy in an Age of Competitive InterdependenceKaiser: Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada — and the town of Canmore as a great place to stay nearby. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
NOW PLAYING
Another Taiwan Straits Crisis? CIA veteran John Culver weighs in
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
Mar 26, 2026 ·1m
Jan 2, 2026 ·47m
Dec 21, 2025 ·46m