Picture Source: Japan Times Website
China and the US have had a complex history with each other that dates back decades. From being allies in World War II to being bitter enemies caught in a deadlock of proxy wars and bitter diplomatic disputes, these two economic superpowers have had to deal with each other in an extremely delicate manner.
However, when it comes to Taiwan, it has been a continuous subject of tension between the two economic giants. In June 1950, General Douglas MacArthur, commander of the US forces in the Asia-Pacific region, warned US President Truman to not allow China to gain control over Taiwan, commenting that it would be like an “unsinkable aircraft carrier” due to its strategic location. He warned that “the strategic interests of the United States would be in serious jeopardy if Formosa [Taiwan] is allowed to be dominated by a [hostile] power”.
Ely Ratner, the assistant secretary of defence for Indo-Pacific security affairs, ushered the same warnings in a recent US Senate hearing. He commented that Taiwan was “critical to the region’s security and critical to the defence of vital US interests”. This comment gave a clearer indication at the US’s true intentions regarding Taiwan. In Beijing the statement has already been interpreted as the US not allowing the unification of China with Taiwan.
Wu Xinbo, director of the Centre for American Studies at Fudan University in China, commented that the US “worked to ensure the continuation of a state of separation across the Taiwan Strait… When we ask the US if they do not hope to see the unification of China, they deny that. But judging from the US’s concrete actions, it is clear that they indeed do not hope to see China unify. Ely Ratner has now said this out loud”.
Ratner’s statements directly contradict the US’s current diplomatic policy in regard to the Taiwan-China unification issue which is called the “One-China” policy. This policy essentially acknowledges that Taiwan is not an independent sovereign state but rather one that falls under China. However, in reality China has nothing to do with Taiwan and it is currently an independently run state. This has caused tension between the two states over the past decades, and now China and the US have both increased their military operations and presence in the region.
A majority of citizens in Taiwan reject a unification with mainland China and want to be recognised as an independent sovereign state, but with an economic superpower as strong as China actively opposing such a move, it is important to make sure that tension does not reach a boiling point. Both the US and China have to navigate through the situation in a precise and careful manner.
December 30th 2021 | 6:15 PM