Taipei: Democracies must move beyond a military-centered understanding of deterrence and build "comprehensive resilience" across society to counter China's growing global influence, American foreign policy expert Bonnie Glaser said Tuesday in Taipei. "Comprehensive resilience is essential for effective, credible deterrence," Glaser, managing director of the German Marshall Fund's Indo-Pacific Program, said in her keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the China In The World (CITW) 2026 summit in Taipei.
According to Focus Taiwan, Glaser emphasized that Beijing's strategy under Chinese President Xi Jinping integrates military, economic, technological, informational, political, and social capabilities, meaning democracies "must respond" by building comprehensive resilience across those same domains.
Glaser explained that for decades, deterrence was primarily understood in military terms, which remains indispensable, especially in the Indo-Pacific region. However, she noted that military strength alone is no longer sufficient for maintaining peace, which depends on preserving a favorable military balance.
Citing the China Index, a project by the Taiwanese NGO Doublethink Lab, which organized the summit, Glaser pointed out that it measures China's influence in more than 100 countries. The findings indicate that Beijing's impact is weakest in the military domain but strongest in foreign policy, technology, and the economy. The data also revealed that China's influence is expanding in roughly seven out of every 10 countries measured.
Glaser argued that because Beijing has "broadened the battlespace," democracies must also broaden deterrence by strengthening resilience in areas "well beyond civil defense or even emergency preparedness." These areas include secure supply chains, independent media, technological innovation, cyber resilience, social cohesion, and strong international partnerships.
Resilience, according to Glaser, should be viewed as an active capacity to deny an adversary the "political, economic, and informational effects" it seeks, rather than just the ability to absorb shocks. This kind of resilience can potentially change Beijing's "strategic calculus before a crisis occurs," which in turn, acts as a form of deterrence.
Highlighting Taiwan's experience, Glaser noted that the island has long faced military intimidation, economic coercion, political warfare, and information manipulation from China. However, instead of simply enduring these pressures, Taiwan has developed "practical models of democratic resilience." This includes efforts across government and society to counter disinformation, improve transparency, and strengthen public participation.
Glaser described Taiwan as a "living laboratory for democratic resilience," adding that its experience is significant not only because of its geography but also because it has confronted challenges that many other democracies are only beginning to face. The rest of the democratic world increasingly looks to Taiwan as a source of solutions, rather than just a security challenge.
The CITW summit, now in its seventh edition, has attracted over 360 participants, including China experts and civil society representatives, for closed-door talks and workshops on Beijing's global influence and democratic resilience.