How Taiwan Became the World's Most Perilous Geopolitical Chokepoint

How Taiwan Became the World's Most Perilous Geopolitical Chokepoint

May 1, 2026 · 57 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the geopolitical tensions surrounding Taiwan and the potential for conflict with China, featuring insights from Eyck Freymann.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has highlighted the potential for long-running theoretical chokepoints to turn into reality, with dramatic results for both geopolitics and the global economy. But the hypothetical scenario that policymakers have arguably been losing the most sleep over for decades is the prospect of a major conflict between China and Taiwan. So how likely is it, and what would such a conflict actually look like? On this episode, we speak with Eyck Freymann, author of the new book,  Defending Taiwan: A Strategy to Prevent War With China , and a fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. We discuss Xi Jinping's strategy, whether Taiwan's "silicon shield" of semiconductor manufacturing can last forever, the state of Taiwan's domestic politics, and what the US can do to deter such a conflict. Subscribe to the Odd Lots Newsletter Join the conversation: discord.gg/oddlots See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Guest: Eyck Freymann

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Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Hoover Institution, Bloomberg

Books & works: Defending Taiwan: A Strategy to Prevent War With China

Places: Taiwan, China, Strait of Hormuz

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