Few countries confront a singular threat that consumes the sole focus of national defense as Taiwan does. Much of this has to do with a growing fear of China’s armed unification plan, whether it be a small-scale military operation to force Taiwan into negotiations or more belligerent options.
Meanwhile, China has strengthened autocratic rule guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to secure its smooth rise to global leadership. Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) governing agenda prioritizes the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) leadership and discipline, national security concerns and a determination to bring Taiwan into its orbit.
Responding to new uncertainties in the regional balance of power, G7 leaders avoided presenting an anti-CCP united front at this year’s summit and expressed their wish to keep peace across the Taiwan Strait. The summit also included Australia, India, Brazil, South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Comoros (representing the African Union) and the Cook Islands (representing the Pacific Islands Forum).
By connecting the G7 with the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue and Pacific Islands Forum, the US maximizes freedom of policy options while enabling allied states to pursue bilateral ties with Taiwan. Such a public display of flexible cross-alliance unity not only displays Washington’s and Tokyo’s commitment to stabilizing the Taiwan Strait, but also makes it harder for Beijing to weaponize its economic leverage against allies.
In this hostile environment, incorporating Taiwan into its multilateral frameworks in the Indo-Pacific region is of great urgency for the US. Chinese political scientist Ye Xiaodi (?曉迪) wrote an article in Pacific Focus last year titled “Alliance Coordination: Explaining the Logic of Biden’s Taiwan Policy.”
Ye wrote that US President Joe Biden has convinced European and Pacific allies to concern themselves with Taiwan in response to China’s growing influence, and has advanced a policy of strategic clarity regarding Taiwan.
Recognizing Taiwan as a crucial non-NATO ally and a global technological powerhouse, Biden’s administration has introduced legislation to normalize arms sales and pursue free-trade agreements with it.
The speed of US alliance coordination seems to have constrained China’s strategy to achieve unification on two fronts.
First, the US has empowered allies to re-evaluate the “one China” principle. More foreign leaders and lawmakers are visiting Taiwan, undermining the decades-long perception of cross-strait relations and enabling allies to seek direct engagement with Taiwan.
Second, Taiwan’s pro-independence sentiment has generated a widespread global consensus, as evidenced by former British prime minister Liz Truss’ visit last week and then-US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit last year.
The more globalized the Taiwan issue is, the more support there will be for keeping it a liberal and democratic state. It would therefore be difficult for the CCP to galvanize Taiwan’s pro-unification sentiment for New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) candidate in next year’s presidential election.
This year’s G7 has increased strategic resonance among allies, prompting them to associate their national interests with Taiwan’s security. While China is blaming the US for weaponizing the multilateral framework of alliance engagement, the dual internationalization of the Taiwan issue and Taiwan’s pro-independence movement is a political headache and forces Beijing to deal with multiple regional players at once.
Joseph Tse-hei Lee is professor of history at Pace University in New York.
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