17.12.2021Taiwan Studies Lecture Series: Beijing’s Cross-Strait Diplomacy through the Lens of Marriage Migrants in Taiwan

Lecturer

Dr. Lara Momesso (School of Humanities, Language and Global Studies, University of Central Lancashire)

Date and Time

December 17, 2021, 4 - 6 pm

Venue

University of Zurich, Institute of Asian and Oriental Studies, Room ZUB 416, Zürichbergstrasse 4, 8032 Zürich

About the talk

As cross-Strait movements and exchanges have increased considerably in the last couple of decades, Beijing has had new opportunities to exert its influence on Taiwan not only through hard power strategies but also through soft power solutions. This talk will explore how a group of migrants from the PRC residing in Taiwan have become  a target of Beijing in its cross-Strait diplomacy and how they have responded to Beijing's initiatives. The peculiarity of this case is that a majority of these migrants are women, who arrived in Taiwan for family reasons, as wives of Taiwanese citizens. In this context, Beijing developed a narrative enriched by gender connotations, by celebrating migrant women's roles as mothers of the nation, their families as symbols of cross-Strait unity, their modern lives and their beauty as a reflection of a new rising China. As a unique example of Beijing's not traditional public diplomacy, this talk will discuss the adaptive nature of Beijing's public diplomacy, when new social groups start to acquire strategic importance.

Contact

For questions, please feel free to contact PD Dr. Simona Grano.

As the number of places is limited, please register as soon as possible here.

Organisation

Institute of Asian and Oriental Studies - Chinese Studies - Taiwan Studies Project