Dr Cameron Hunter recently returned from several weeks of fieldwork in Taiwan, under the auspices of the RITUAL DETERRENCE project. The data collected supports several of his ongoing research work packages and opened up new possibilities for analysis.
Taiwan is the main target of the People’s Republic of China’s 21st strategic goals for the 21st century. Utilising a mixture of data collection methods, Dr Hunter’s research sought to clarify the character of China’s deterrence/coercion practices in, around, and over Taiwan. This included direct and participant observation of daily life in Taiwan, particularly during Chinese military drills; interviews with experts and practitioners; social media data, and fieldwork on the “red beaches” likely to be used in the event of a Chinese invasion.
Dr Hunter would like to thank all of the participants and colleagues in Taiwan that assisted during the fieldwork, and for their continuing support.