UST Hosts 2026 Taiwan Conference

The University of St. Thomas (UST) hosted the 2026 Taiwan Conference on March 28 at its Center for Science and Health Professions.

The conference was jointly organized by Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education and UST's Center for International Studies. Its central theme focused on "U.S.-China-Taiwan trilateral relations under a Trump 2.0 administration." Leading scholars and diplomatic officials from Taiwan and the United States gathered to examine shifting power dynamics and potential conflict hotspots in the Indo-Pacific region.

Dr. Yao-Yuan Yeh (葉耀元), director of the UST Taiwan & East Asia Studies Program and chair of the Department of International Studies & Modern Languages and Department of Political Science, was delighted to host the event.

"I was honored to assemble a group of scholars from the United States and Taiwan to exchange their perspectives and insights on the U.S.-Taiwan-China trilateral relationship under the current Trump 2.0 administration," Dr. Yeh said. "This event served as a great venue for UST to connect with our community. It is a critical moment in the world, as the conflicts of Ukraine and Iran are ongoing, and the peace and prosperity of the Taiwan Strait under the U.S-China great power competition are threatened by the PRC. Thus, I hope our effort to hold this conference on such a critical topic has shed some light on these issues!

This event marked the ninth major academic conference under UST's Taiwan Studies & East Asia Studies program since 2016. Since its founding in 1981, UST's Center for International Studies has been a pioneer in research on Taiwan and U.S. national security interests in the southern United States. Providing opportunities where people can dialogue and come together to understand the issues through the eyes of global experts is integral to the educaitonal experience at St. Thomas.

Houston has become an important hub for discussions on cross-strait relations and international diplomacy, and Dr. Yeh has led UST in having an active part in the conversation. UST President Dr. Sinda Vanderpool and Director General Hsiao Yi-fang of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston delivered opening remarks.

The conference concluded with a keynote address by Richard Bush, a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Overall, the event highlighted UST's growing academic influence and provided valuable strategic insights into the future of U.S.-China-Taiwan relations during the next four years.