Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Freund Larus
Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Freund Larus was featured by BBC News in an article titled “A rare ‘gap’ has appeared in the flights of Chinese military aircraft ‘harassing’ Taiwan; five interpretations of the underlying motives.” In the piece, Larus offers analysis on recent changes in Chinese military activity near Taiwan.
She notes that while some factors, such as China’s “Two Sessions,” may provide partial context, other explanations remain unclear. She also indicates that the activity is unlikely to be connected to U.S.-China relations or an anticipated visit by former President Trump, emphasizing that such military operations have become routine. Read more in BBC News.
Other media mentions for Larus include:
There is a rare “window period” in the flight of the CCP’s military aircraft “disturbing Taiwan”, and there are five interpretations of the motives behind it (BBC News)
In this regard, Elizabeth Larus, a professor emeritus at the University of Mary Washington and now a senior researcher at the Pacific Forum in the United States, also agrees that other information is not clear except for the “two sessions” factor. She told the BBC that she did not think it was related to Trump’s upcoming visit to China, “China’s daily disturbances to Taiwan’s air defense identification zone have become so routine that I don’t think they are a factor affecting US-China relations. I have seen some claims that the aircraft have been withdrawn to China due to military training, but I cannot confirm this.” Read more in BBC News.