US-China relations have taken a sharp dive after Washington’s decision to sell a range of weapons to Taiwan to defend itself against Chinese attack.
The proposed sale has been submitted to Congress for approval, which is expected to follow.
The weapons are said to include advanced capability Patriot missiles, known as PAC-3 missiles, 60 Black Hawk helicopters and two minesweepers.
Beijing has predictably hit the roof, warning the US of a “serious negative impact” on ties between the two countries.
More enigmatic, if not ominous, are remarks made by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei (何亞非), who said the proposed arms deal would lead to an “aftermath both sides would not prefer,” and asked the US to reverse its “erroneous” decision.
However, looking at it rationally, there is nothing new in the US’ decision to sell defensive weapons to Taiwan.
OBLIGED
It is a continuation of US policy under the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) of 1979, under which the US is legally obliged to help Taiwan defend itself.
And, according to a US State Department spokesperson: “Such sales contribute to maintaining security and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
Which seems to be an accurate assessment, as even under a China-friendly Taiwanese government led by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), Beijing has not removed its estimated 1,000-plus missiles targeted at Taiwan.
Indeed, when he was running for the presidency, Ma had pledged to bring about a security agreement with China to deal with Beijing’s military threat.
However, nothing has happened in this regard, despite the Ma government’s initiatives to expand relations with China.
The US has sold defensive weapons to Taiwan in the past, and it will continue to do so under the TRA. China has always objected to arms sales to Taiwan, but this time its objections are somewhat ominous in their rhetoric.
Why is Beijing acting like this?
Because it has begun to overestimate its global power.
EQUAL BILLING
Ever since US President Barack Obama took power last year, the US gave China equal billing in managing crucial global issues like the financial crisis, climate change and nuclear proliferation in Iran and North Korea.
This gave rise to talk of the US and China as the “G2” powers.
During her China visit, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton thanked China for continuing to buy US treasury notes and bonds in spite of the economic crisis.
Around the same time, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (溫家寶) expressed concern about the security of China’s investments in US currency.
Seemingly emphasizing a new era in US-China relations, Clinton said in Beijing that China’s human rights issues would not derail progress in other areas of their bilateral relations.
It is not surprising, therefore, that China started to overestimate its global power and behave as though the US were a client state, and that when the proposed US arms sale to Taiwan was announced, Beijing hit the roof with all kinds of retaliatory threats.
The Chinese wolf will keep huffing and puffing and threatening to blow the house down for quite some time to come, but eventually it should settle down.
There is always a danger of things getting out of control, however, in this game of brinkmanship.
Sushil Seth is a writer based in Australia.
Two weeks ago, Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) raised hackles in Taiwan by posting to her 2.6 million Instagram followers that she was visiting “Taipei, China.” Yeoh’s post continues a long-standing trend of Chinese propaganda that spreads disinformation about Taiwan’s political status and geography, aimed at deceiving the world into supporting its illegitimate claims to Taiwan, which is not and has never been part of China. Taiwan must respond to this blatant act of cognitive warfare. Failure to respond merely cedes ground to China to continue its efforts to conquer Taiwan in the global consciousness to justify an invasion. Taiwan’s government
This month’s news that Taiwan ranks as Asia’s happiest place according to this year’s World Happiness Report deserves both celebration and reflection. Moving up from 31st to 27th globally and surpassing Singapore as Asia’s happiness leader is gratifying, but the true significance lies deeper than these statistics. As a society at the crossroads of Eastern tradition and Western influence, Taiwan embodies a distinctive approach to happiness worth examining more closely. The report highlights Taiwan’s exceptional habit of sharing meals — 10.1 shared meals out of 14 weekly opportunities, ranking eighth globally. This practice is not merely about food, but represents something more
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of