Beijing’s non-military coercive actions against Taiwan, such as diplomatic isolation and political interference, are intended to break down the confidence of Taiwanese and might be of greater concern than a military threat, a US foreign policy analyst said on Monday.
In a talk with the New York-based National Committee on US-China Relations, Ryan Hass, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said the US and China are entering an “action-reaction dynamic” over Taiwan, in which both sides believe they are reacting to the actions of the other.
While this has led to increasing talk in Washington about the risk of conflict, Hass said he was more concerned about the “non-military coercive challenge” Taiwan faces from Beijing.
Photo: CNA
In practice, the coercion takes the form of diplomatic isolation, cyberoperations and political interference, which are intended to wear down the psychological confidence of Taiwanese, Hass said.
The end goal of the strategy is to establish that Taiwan “is on its own in dealing with the mainland, and that its only path to peace or prosperity is to welcome the embrace of Beijing,” he said.
To counter these efforts, the US can provide “a steady, clear, firm approach” to Taiwan that remains within the bounds of its “one China” policy, said Hass, who served as director of China, Taiwan and Mongolia policy on the US National Security Council from 2013 to 2017.
It is in the US’ interest for Taiwanese to feel safe and confident in their future, to enjoy dignity and respect on the world stage, and to expand their trade and investment links with others around the world, Hass said.
Meanwhile, the US and China need to have “clear straight conversations” about the intentions of their actions and what they believe they are responding to, rather than relying on intuition, he said.
“The reality is that neither Washington nor Beijing benefits from allowing the situation to spiral out, and neither do the people of Taiwan,” he added.
Ultimately, it is Taiwanese who will be making the decisions about their future, Hass said. “And so the more the burden is on Beijing to provide an attractive offering to the people of Taiwan to try to persuade them about the direction that they would like to see in Taiwan’s future — that’s to everyone’s benefit.”
Despite China’s initial expectations that its relations with the US would improve with the inauguration of US President Joe Biden in January, tensions between the countries have remained high.
Earlier this month, the US Department of State issued new guidelines allowing US officials to interact more freely with their Taiwanese counterparts, while an unofficial delegation sent by Biden visited Taiwan last week.
Coinciding with the US actions, an increased number of Chinese warplanes have been reported flying in the vicinity of Taiwan, while China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier conducted training exercises in waters near Taiwan.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS