This conference aims to examine the intricate dynamics of the "China Issue" as it pertains to Taiwan, highlighting how Taiwan's geopolitical challenges are fundamentally tied to China's ambitions to restore its imperial sphere of influence. The event will help to build comprehensive understanding of a major global issue: how Taiwan's cultural and political landscape is deeply intertwined with China's expansionist goals. Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders have referred to the 75-year separation of Taiwan from China since the founding People’s Republic as the “Taiwan Issue” (Taiwan wenti)This conference inverts such a perspective, referring to the “China Issue” (Zhongguo wenti)as the broad impact of China's historical process of empire-building, which extends its influence beyond its borders to include ethnic minority regions, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and countries in Southeast Asia. The conference will delve into the ideas and practices behind China's "imperial impulse"—a collective mission to revive the concept of the Chinese Empire. By drawing comparisons with historical Germany, Japan, the United States, and contemporary Russia, we aim to underscore the unique characteristics of China's approach.