Hey guys,
Yeah, another late post. It’s been a busy summer.
Now, I’ve been doing some thinking on what to write about for this post, and have decided to turn the whole Taiwan-China-Pelosi debacle into a series; I feel it is important enough to global diplomacy and politics to merit this attention. And trust me, a lot has happened in the past week.
All thanks to a tiny country on the Asian coast.
As some of you might remember, in an earlier post I first covered when Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker of the US House of Representatives, arrived in Taiwan. China was absolutely furious over this move, believing - rightly so - that it threatens their already weak claim over the island. Mainland China has believed Taiwan is part of their country since the Chinese civil war 80 years ago, in which the losing nationalists fled the mainland and declared sovereignty over Taiwan, naming it the Republic of China. The issue is not resolved in any way, with the world watching warily and hesitantly taking sides. Thus far, Taiwan is technically not recognized by enough countries to be an official country, but they basically are one. There’s no need to maintain the charade.
China clearly thinks otherwise.
They promised that Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan would have vast repercussions on Chinese-American diplomacy, and vowed to increase their military presence around the island. Unfortunately, they’ve kept their promise. Thus far, these military exercises have simulated a blockade of the island, with several Chinese warships maintaining their positions around the small republic. Anyone else getting flashbacks to Russia’s prep for the war in Ukraine? China has also conducted missile tests and aircraft drills in the area between the opposing nations.
The goal of these moves is obvious: to deter the world from supporting Taiwan. Their plan is backfiring, causing countries as large as India to try and reign in China’s anger. The US is especially heated about this issue, with the U.S. Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell stating:
"China has overreacted and its actions continue to be provocative, destabilizing and unprecedented… [China’s campaign] has not ended and we expect it to continue to unfold in the coming weeks and months."
Campbell also said that he was planning an "ambitious road map" for US-Taiwanese trade relations, a further move against China’s power. However, despite all these international efforts to block or at least calm down the conflict, Taiwan is still expecting the worst, with its people hardening their beliefs and walking the fine line between courting the US, and avoiding outright conflict.
Sheesh. A lot of fuss over an island the size of Maryland.
Sources:
India sticks to 'one-China' policy stance but seeks restraint on Taiwan - Reuters
U.S. says China used Pelosi's Taiwan visit as pretext to alter status quo - Reuters
As China Vows More Military Exercises, Taiwan Is Undeterred - NY Times
Thing I forgot to mention: the a couple of "Good News" posts ago, I announced that I am starting a column in which I interview a paid subscriber. The first post will be published sometime next week.