Taiwan is caught in the middle of a ‘dangerous love triangle’.
Last week, Taiwan’s President Sai Ing-wen received a grand welcome in New York, USA. After this, she is now going to California where she is to meet the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy.
Amid the discussion about the timing of Sai Ing-wen’s American tour, the gap of tension between America and China is getting deeper. In recent times, the leaders of the Democratic and Republican parties living in mutual opposition in America seem to be competing to outdo each other in terms of support for Taiwan.
A major reason for this is that last year, former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan knowing that China would be angry with her visit.
Taiwan is a self-governing territory that China considers its part. China believes that if not today then tomorrow it will include this part in itself.
There is tension between Taiwan and China for 70 years
- During 1945-49, a civil war broke out in China. On one side there were communists under the leadership of Mao Zedong and on the other hand there were nationalist forces under the leadership of Chiang Kai-shek.
- Chiang Kai-shek started losing badly, he thought of going to a place where he could gather strength again.
- He moved to Taiwan where he formed a government in exile.
- The Communists of China have not yet been able to take Taiwan under their control.
Getty ImagesTaiwan President Tsai Ing-wen with Nancy Pelosi
What is the benefit of Taiwan by getting closer to America?
Taiwan remains an important issue of tension between China and America.
“Personally, I was opposed to Pelosi’s visit,” says Professor William Stanton, former director of the American Institute on Taiwan. A visit to Taiwan by a senior US politician was like pricking China while sitting and doing nothing. It was supposed to happen. The result it showed was very frightening.”
Many Chinese missiles thundered over Taiwan which disturbed the people on this island. There was discussion in other countries of this region whether China would start a war against Taiwan.
But despite this, after becoming the speaker of the US House in January, Kevin McCarthy, who is associated with the Republican Party, said that he would follow in the footsteps of Nancy Pelosi in this matter.
Professor William Stanton says that soon after becoming House Speaker, he expressed his desire to visit Taiwan, but Taiwan’s President Sai Ing-wen said that it would not be right.
Professor Stanton says, “I think Kevin McCarthy wanted to do the same thing as Pelosi but Sai Ing-wen told him ‘no thanks, how about we meet in California instead of Taiwan'”.
On the one hand, President Tsai Ing-wen does not want to create controversy again due to another American leader’s visit to Taiwan, on the other hand, she also wants to show China that she is the democratically elected country’s government and its most powerful ally. Will not be able to break the ties between America.
It is in this background that President Sai and Kevin McCarthy are to meet in California. But Kevin looks very excited about his visit. Despite China’s warning that ‘America is playing with fire on the Taiwan issue’, he called it a ‘meeting between the leaders of the two countries’.
Political scientist Wen-Tee Sang at the Australian National University says this so-called “transit diplomacy” (visits to build relationships with allies and challenge enemies through them) is crucial for Taiwan.
In the last few years, China has successfully distanced many countries which were allies of Taiwan. In today’s era, the number of countries which recognize Taiwan as a country has been limited to 13.
“Taiwanese society needs to be recognized internationally, and this visit is important in this regard,” says Wen-Ti Sang. These gestures of international support became extremely important for Taiwanese people who are not recognized internationally Are.”
Last week, Honduras broke its decade-old diplomatic relations with Taiwan, after which a total of 13 countries have formal relations with Taiwan.
13 countries of which diplomatic with taiwan are relations, they are
- Latin America and caribbean country – Belize, Guatemala, Paraguay, Haiti, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines
- Pacific– Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Tuvalu
- Africa – Eswatini
- europe– Vatican City
Getty Imagesma ying-ju
China’s response
It is not that in the meanwhile China is sitting silently only making threats. He has invited Ma Ying-jo, who was the President of Taiwan before Sai Ing-wen, to visit China.
On the invitation of China, Ma Ying-Jo agreed to visit five cities of China to pay tribute to his ancestors and after reaching China went to offer flowers to the graves of his ancestors.
But his visit also has political significance. In fact, this is the first time that after the formation of Taiwan in 1949, a former President has gone on a tour of the People’s Republic of China.
Wen-T Sang says, “China wants to take a soft stance on Taiwan. It wants to win the hearts of the people and is trying not to raise the issue of nationalism in the presidential election campaign to be held in 2024.”
He says that Ma Ying-jo’s visit to China will prepare the necessary “political role” for this.
The speech given by Ma Ying-jo after reaching Nanjing in China is also being seen as a friendship between the people of both the sides.
In a speech full of political emotion, he said, “The people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are Chinese. All these people are descendants of the Yan and Sailo emperors of China.”
Professor William Stanton says, “China’s attitude towards Ma Ying-jo is wonderful because he represents a kind of surrender. He says ‘we are all Chinese’. This is something China agrees with. But Taiwan does not agree with this at all.”
The risky thing in Ma Ying-jo’s policy is that according to a recent survey, 60 percent of Taiwanese citizens call themselves Taiwanese, they do not consider themselves Chinese.
But in the days to come, it may also have an advantage, says Wen-ti Sang. Surveys conducted so far have revealed that more than half of Taiwanese citizens believe that war with China is now a big possibility. Ma Ying-who wants to assure the citizens of Taiwan that only his party, the Kuomintang, can stop the war.”
On the one hand, he is using his heritage to connect people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, says Wen, while on the other hand, he is also launching his presidential election campaign domestically in Taiwan. His party claims that She can make peace with China.”
America’s role
- In 1972, former US President Richard Nixon started rapprochement with China. The ‘Shanghai Declaration’ came to the fore only then. This established the ‘One China Policy’.
- According to this, America believes that there are Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. He also believes that China is one and Taiwan is a part of China.
- After this policy was implemented, Taiwan lost its seat in the United Nations. And by the end of the 1970s, full diplomatic relations were established with China.
- America has always said that this policy only recognizes China’s claim on Taiwan, but does not approve or recognize it.
- To give confidence to Taiwan, former US President Jimmy Carter signed the ‘Taiwan Relations Act’ in 1979. In this, it was promised to sell weapons to Taiwan so that it can protect itself.
- Since then, Taiwan is an important ‘strategic screw’ in the official policy of America.
taiVan face to face with US-China
But the biggest issue today is not Taiwan or its politics at the domestic level, but the growing tension between the US and China regarding it.
Bonnie Glazer, head of the Asia Program of the German Marshall Fund of America, says that in the year 1979, since the US and China officially recognized each other, the relationship between the two has never reached such a low level before today. Were.
She says, “China is not ready to talk to US President Joe Biden or the Pentagon. The US Congress has already threatened China’s existence itself.”
For decades, America has been very careful about Taiwan. He has always said that his policy recognizes China’s claim on Taiwan, but he has not approved or recognized it.
The same China says that Taiwan is its part and China has only one government which is in its ‘mainland’.
Since 1979, America has not maintained diplomatic relations with Taiwan but with China. However, he also remains an ally of Taiwan and says that he is committed to protecting Taiwan.
But now China says that after helping to maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait for the past four decades, the US is now trying to change the situation.
Bonnie Glazer says, “US President Joe Biden has assured Chinese President Xi Jinping that he is not using Taiwan as a weapon and does not support separating Taiwan from China.”
She says that it is extremely difficult to trust their promises between official visits and meetings of US and Taiwanese politicians.
So, while President Tsai Ing-wen is sipping tea with Kevin McCarthy in California, Ma Ying-jo will be in the cities of China. But it is necessary for Taiwan to talk to the Chinese President as well.