Erik Prince & Erik Bethel - The China/Taiwan Conflict (Video)

In this 16 June 2025 video, host Shawn Ryan talks with Erik Prince & Erik Bethel about the China/Taiwan conflict.

China’s desire to reclaim Taiwan stems from a complex mix of historical claims, nationalistic ideology, and strategic considerations. The Chinese Communist Party views Taiwan as a renegade province and part of “one China,” asserting that it must be unified with the mainland, even if by force. This stance is rooted in the Chinese Civil War and the subsequent division of China, with the defeated Kuomintang retreating to Taiwan. 

Erik Prince is an American businessman, former U.S. Navy SEAL, and the founder of Blackwater, a private military company established in 1997. A graduate of Hillsdale College, Prince heads Frontier Resource Group, a private equity firm, and promotes economic development in emerging markets. He hosts the podcast Off Leash with Erik Prince, launched in 2023, and founded Unplugged, a privacy-focused smartphone company. Prince, a vocal advocate for privatizing military operations and deregulation, has been linked to controversial arms deals and Trump-era political operations.

Erik Bethel is a General Partner at Mare Liberum, a fund focused on sustainability and national security in the maritime domain. He is a global finance professional with experience in the private and public sectors. In 2020, he was nominated to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Panama. Previously, he was nominated by the President and confirmed unanimously by the Senate to represent the United States at the World Bank. At the World Bank, Erik participated in the analysis and deployment of over $100 billion of capital in the developing world through grants, loans, equity investments, and other financial products. Previously, Erik spent over twenty years working as an investment banker and private equity professional at Franklin Templeton Investments, J.P. Morgan, and Morgan Stanley. Erik earned a BS in economics and political science from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He serves on several Boards, including the United States Naval War College Foundation, is a Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and is an Advisor to Oxford Analytica – a geopolitical think tank. He speaks Spanish, Portuguese, and Mandarin.

https://youtu.be/oghBVS0QvOM

CHAPTER MARKERS
00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
00:34 Taiwan’s Historical Context
05:31 China’s Modern History and Economic Policies
08:38 Surveillance and Social Control in China
17:35 Governance and Economic Systems
24:42 China’s Belt and Road Initiative
46:54 Geopolitical Concerns: Taiwan and China
01:31:47 Taiwan’s Defense Strategy
01:35:45 Cybersecurity Threats
01:53:25 Unrestricted Warfare
01:55:14 Fentanyl Crisis as a Weapon
01:59:43 American Innovation and Resilience
02:08:59 Global Implications of Taiwan’s Fall
02:15:30 Conclusion and Call to Action