China's rapidly strengthening military power is a matter of concern for Asian nations such as Taiwan and Japan. China is now adding a new fuse to the powder keg -- an anti-secession law, thereby making conflict in the Asia-Pacific region more possible.
During a meeting in Beijing to discuss national defense early this month, the US deputy under secretary of defense for Asia Pacific affairs, Richard Lawless, warned that China is "deliberately creating or raising tension in its relationship with Taiwan."
During a hearing with former CIA Director James Woolsey in the House of Representatives' Intelligence Committee recently, Woolsey included China among the greatest threats to the US, saying that when China is faced with hard-fought domestic issues, Taiwan and the US are its easiest targets. Robert Zoellick, recently appointed deputy secretary of state, has said that the US hopes that the anti-secession legislation issue will not cause China to act against US wishes. The co-chairman of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, Steve Chabot, an Ohio Republican, has also proposed a bill to point out that China's anti-secession legislation will amount to unilateral change in the cross-strait status quo, that it conflicts with long-standing US cross-strait policy, and that the US should express its opposition.
CIA director Porter Goss said to the US Congress "if Beijing decides that Taiwan is taking steps toward a permanent separation that exceeds Beijing's tolerance ... China is prepared to respond with varying levels of force." Also, China's escalating military strength is jeopardizing the cross-strait military balance, and poses a threat to US interests in the region.
The conciliatory atmosphere resulting from the implementation of Lunar New Year charter and cargo flights has blinded Taiwanese to the conflict over the anti-secession law and anti-annexation law. This added tension is not because of democracy in Taiwan, but the lack of it in China. China may well have been going through a transformation under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping (
The purpose of enacting China's anti-secession law is to split Taiwan, dividing a main enemy from a secondary enemy on the island. The "main enemy" are those who espouse Taiwan's independence, while the "secondary enemy" are those who favor independence for the Republic of China (ROC). Beijing will first strike Taiwanese independence activists and then clamp down on ROC independence. This anti-secession law targets Taiwan, with the ultimate goal being to annex the island. People in Taiwan should be psychologically prepared and united in the face of this threat.
Although the anti-secession law is only a domestic law in China, when Beijing signs a joint communique on the establishment of diplomatic relations with other countries, they are expected to acknowledge, recognize and respect the idea that Taiwan is part of China.
Although China's hackneyed statement is not in accordance with the actual situation, China can still use such diplomatic communiques as a way to acquire support for the anti-secession law in the international community. Taiwan has to respond properly and be prepared for imminent legal and propaganda warfare.
US aerospace company Boeing Co has in recent years been involved in numerous safety incidents, including crashes of its 737 Max airliners, which have caused widespread concern about the company’s safety record. It has recently come to light that titanium jet engine parts used by Boeing and its European competitor Airbus SE were sold with falsified documentation. The source of the titanium used in these parts has been traced back to an unknown Chinese company. It is clear that China is trying to sneak questionable titanium materials into the supply chain and use any ensuing problems as an opportunity to
It’s not every month that the US Department of State sends two deputy assistant secretary-level officials to Taiwan, together. Its rarer still that such senior State Department policy officers, once on the ground in Taipei, make a point of huddling with fellow diplomats from “like-minded” NATO, ANZUS and Japanese governments to coordinate their multilateral Taiwan policies. The State Department issued a press release on June 22 admitting that the two American “representatives” had “hosted consultations in Taipei” with their counterparts from the “Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.” The consultations were blandly dubbed the “US-Taiwan Working Group on International Organizations.” The State
The Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercises, the largest naval exercise in the region, are aimed at deepening international collaboration and interaction while strengthening tactical capabilities and flexibility in tackling maritime crises. China was invited to participate in RIMPAC in 2014 and 2016, but it was excluded this year. The underlying reason is that Beijing’s ambitions of regional expansion and challenging the international order have raised global concern. The world has made clear its suspicions of China, and its exclusion from RIMPAC this year will bring about a sea change in years to come. The purpose of excluding China is primarily
The Chinese Supreme People’s Court and other government agencies released new legal guidelines criminalizing “Taiwan independence diehard separatists.” While mostly symbolic — the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has never had jurisdiction over Taiwan — Tamkang University Graduate Institute of China Studies associate professor Chang Wu-ueh (張五岳), an expert on cross-strait relations, said: “They aim to explain domestically how they are countering ‘Taiwan independence,’ they aim to declare internationally their claimed jurisdiction over Taiwan and they aim to deter Taiwanese.” Analysts do not know for sure why Beijing is propagating these guidelines now. Under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), deciphering the