Mariah Thornton featured in the Diplomat

LSE IDEAS researcher Mariah Thornton was recently featured in The Diplomat discussing how China's 20th party congress has escalated cross-straights tension.

She writes ''Looking beyond the familiar CCP script on Taiwan’s unification, one of the proposed amendments to the party constitution following the Party Congress represents a significant escalation in cross-strait relations. The new amendment states the CCP’s commitment to “resolutely oppose and contain Taiwan independence” while strengthening the Chinese military to promote “unification of the motherland.”

The constitutional enshrinement of an opposition to Taiwanese independence is unprecedented. Previously the charter only stated the CCP will “work continuously to strengthen the unity of all the Chinese people, including compatriots… in Taiwan” to achieve unification.''.

Mariah is an MPhil/PhD student at the Department of International Relations and a researcher at LSE IDEAS. Her research focuses on China’s foreign policy and strategy toward Taiwan, cross-Strait relations, as well as Taiwan in digital IR.

Before joining LSE, Mariah worked as a press and communications officer at the Taipei Representative Office for over two years under Taiwan’s then representative to the UK and former foreign minister David Lin. Mariah also worked in business development at an international education consultancy with a focus on China and East Asia.

You can access the full article here.