The US is demanding that Taiwan not change the status quo, and has even said that Taiwan is not a sovereign state, that the two sides of the Strait should be peacefully unified, that the US has no duty to defend Taiwan and that Taiwan is part of China.
It has used this to apply pressure on Taiwan. The anti-secession law might, however, lead to US concerns that China may use military force against Taiwan. Because the US is opposed to the use of military force by China to resolve the Taiwan issue, and because it hopes a solution to the cross-strait issue can be approved by the people of Taiwan, Taiwan should make good use of this opportunity and launch an intense effort to explain to the US government, and academic circles, that the anti-secession law may change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. It should also rebuild mutual trust between Taiwan and the US to change the strategically disadvantageous situation in which it has found itself over the past two years.
It is worth noticing that we absolutely must not bow to China's threats and coercion, because that would encourage China to take military action even sooner. China is not a country ruled by law, and a Chinese decision to take military action is related to its military strength, not to whether Taiwan crosses the line.
The only way for Taiwan to avoid a war across the Taiwan Strait is to strengthen its national and psychological defenses to make China understand that the cost of war would be too high, instead of fearing attack.
It must be remembered that the enemy is most afraid of that which they are doing their utmost to prohibit us from doing.
Translated by Perry Svensson
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