US President Donald Trump has made a tough approach to China one of his key pre-election issues, bringing relations between countries to a freezing point. In line with this Washington tactic, there is increased support for Taiwan.
“We will continue to help Taipei resist the campaign of the Chinese communist regime, which is putting pressure on and intimidating Taiwan,” David Stilwell, head of the US State Department for East Asia and the Pacific, quoted the media last week.
Washington has demonstrated its efforts, among other things, through the repeated voyage of the destroyer USS Halsey through the Taiwan Strait. Experts also consider the declassification of the island’s commitments from the Ronald Reagan era to be a sign of support.
They cover, inter alia, arms sales to Taiwan without prior consultation with China. Stilwell assures that the promises remain to this day. Beijing opposes that they are illegal and invalid.
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As early as August, Washington upset China by sending Health Minister Alex Azar to the island, the highest-ranked visit in four decades.
“The United States is trying to make its guarantees very clear to Taiwan at a time when it perceives Chinese activity in the Taiwan Strait as destabilizing,” she said. according to CNN Meia Nouwens of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.
China has recently held a series of military exercises on its shores, including maneuvers in the strait that separates the Chinese mainland from the island. She said it was a response to the security situation in the region and a necessary step to ensure national sovereignty.
Even Taiwan does not hesitate to show that it is ready to defend its territory. The demonstration of force in the area is thus escalating, which increases the risk of an unintended incident.
Some experts even warn that too obvious cooperation between Taiwan and the United States, especially in the military field, could lead Beijing to believe in the need for an annexation of the island. China has never renounced the use of force to address the Taiwan issue, and developments in Hong Kong are also arousing international nervousness.
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However, other experts question the scenario of a Chinese invasion of the island, according to them, Taiwan will not be any risk for mainland China, even if it proceeds with the announced modernization and strengthening of the army. They argue that Beijing will certainly not want to risk a further increase in US military activity in the region.
There is also no consensus on Taiwan’s sea-protected ability to defend itself against a powerful neighbor on its own. According to the current assessment of the situation, the island’s army believes that China still does not have sufficient resources to carry out a full-fledged invasion. However, he admits that she is capable of making his life considerably more difficult.
“In order to force Taiwan to obey Taiwan, it could cut off key shipping lines, block important ports and occupy remote Taiwanese islands,” the Taiwanese military said in an analysis. In any case, it can be expected that tensions in the region will not ease, at least until the November US presidential election.
| Business agreement in sight |
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Recent developments suggest that the United States could conclude a long-standing free trade agreement with Taiwan in the near future. Its president, Chai Jing-wen, recently said that the importance of secure and reliable business ties is now fully demonstrated. Therefore, talks with the USA should not be hampered by marginal issues concerning only a fraction of possible trade. She expressed her support by announcing the release of restrictions on imports of American pork and beef. This controversial issue in Taiwan’s domestic scene was seen as a major obstacle to deepening trade relations that would reduce Taiwan’s dependence on China. Almost thirty percent of the island’s exports ended there last year, with the US in second place with half the volume. |
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