Speaker: Peter Dutton, Senior Research Fellow, Paul Tsai China Center; Professor Emeritus, U.S. Naval War College

Discussant: Alastair Iain Johnston, Professor, Government Department, Harvard University

Taiwan’s political status often dominates headlines. Yet its legal status — the foundation of U.S. policy — remains underdiscussed. At this event, Paul Tsai China Center Senior Fellow Dr. Peter Dutton will trace Taiwan’s territorial status from the Qing Dynasty to the present day, shedding light on the legal principles and historical developments that define its position in the world. 

Peter Dutton is a senior research fellow at the Paul Tsai China Center and Professor Emeritus at the U.S. Naval War College. Before coming to Yale, Dutton served the U.S. Navy for more than 40 years in active duty and civilian capacities. He has advised a series of Pacific Fleet Commanders, Secretaries of Defense, Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other government offices on policies in the Asia-Pacific region and testified before the Senate and the House on a variety of China-related issues. He was also a professor of international law and China studies at the U.S. Naval War College, where he directed the China Maritime Studies Institute and served as dean of the Center for Naval Warfare Studies.