Since Lowell Dittmer proposed the theory of strategic triangle, the theory has become a powerful explanatory model that developed various triangles from the US-Soviet Union-China strategic triangle in the Cold War to the other more recent triangles like the US-China-EU and the US-China-India. Among various triangles, the US-China-Taiwan triangle has evolved into a relatively more critical one in terms of its impact on the regional hegemonic stability or shift in East Asia due to the rise of China that is shaking the US hegemony in the region. In contrast to the assumption of universal application of the Dittmer’s model that was derived from the US--Soviet Union-China strategic triangle, this paper supplements it with a more sophisticated strategic triangle model with “cross-strait characteristics.” In addition, this paper would be critical of the Dittmer’s model that was developed based on the context of the Cold War. Empirically, this paper would suggest strategic options for Taiwan based on the “strategic triangle with cross-strait characteristics.”