Richard C. Bush III

Director, Center for East Asia Policy Studies, The Brookings Institution

hard Bush’s two-decade public service career spans Congress, the intelligence community, and the U.S. State Department. He currently focuses on China-Taiwan relations, U.S.-China relations, the Korean peninsula, and Japan’s security.

Articles by Richard C. Bush III

On March 5, Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke to the Shanghai delegates to the National People's Congress (NPC) session in Beijing. China's top leaders use these side meetings to convey policy guidance on a range of issues, and Xi used this particular one to offer his perspective on relations with Taiwan. There has been some nervousness in the wake of the January 16 elections, which swept the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to power in both the executive and legislative branches. Because the Beijing government has always suspected that the fundamental objective of the DPP is to permanently separate Taiwan from China, observers were waiting expectantly to hear what Xi would have to say about Taiwan.

For the fourth time, the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy and Brookings Institution are collaborating to hold a conference on future security issues that the Republic of Korea and United States, as two close allies, will face in East Asia. This is a partnership that The Brookings Institution holds in high regard. We are deeply grateful of General Lee Sanghee for his leadership and his staff for their outstanding and essential support.

The main variable setting the level of tension and danger has repeatedly been presidential elections in Taiwan, because they produce new leaders, and often, new policies towards China. Since 2008, Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou embarked on a policy that included reassurance to Beijing about the intentions of his government, engagement with China to normalize and expand cross-Strait economic relations, and the creation of stakes that each had in the preservation of peace and stability. Beijing responded well to these initiatives, but did not take all the steps that Ma has sought. The improvement in cross-Strait relations benefited the United States, since it freed up the time of national security decision-makers and led the Obama administration to take steps to improve its bilateral relations with Taipei.

On December 18 and 19, 2014, CEAP sponsored a similar Japan-American dialogue on the Chinese economy and political system. Both the December and February dialogues included a public program, convened on December 19 and February 27. Video and audio recordings, complete transcripts, and some presentations from both events are available on the Brookings website.

The recent Order from Chaos interview with U.S. Army Pacific Commander General Vincent Brooks is not just a useful perspective on the Asia-Pacific from an official responsible for the conduct of American policy. It is also an implicit but important response to ongoing discussions about the Obama administration's approach policy toward Asia. The tenor of the public commentary has been that the administration's “pivot” or “rebalance” marked a major shift in U.S. global policy, that its focus was military only, and that its goal was to contain China. General Brooks corrects those misimpressions.

For several months now, there has been talk of a meeting between Taiwan's president Ma Ying-jeou and the People's Republic of China president Xi Jinping. Such an event would be the first time that the leaders of the two sides had met since the late 1940s. After 65 years of relations that were ambivalent at best and downright dangerous at worst, a Ma-Xi meeting would affirm the changes for the better that have occurred since Ma came to power and suggest a promise of more to come.

On Friday, September 12, Brooking's Center for East Asia Policy Studies convened a conference on China-Taiwan relations, in cooperation with Taiwan's Association of Foreign Relations. The presentations were stimulating and the audience participation was good (a transcript of the event should be posted soon).

The sixth meeting of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue-or S&ED-takes place July 9-10 in Beijing, with Secretary of State John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew representing the United States and State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Vice Premier Wang Yang representing China. Since 2009, the S&ED has offered a platform for both countries to address bilateral, regional and global challenges and opportunities, and this year's meeting comes at a critical time to stabilize the U.S.-China relationship. Brookings John L. Thornton China Center scholars Richard Bush, David Dollar, Cheng Li, Jonathan Pollack and Qi Ye offer insight into this significant meeting.