All over the globe, the discussion of China's rise is nothing new. Unsatisfied with the status of a regional hegemon, China is now seeking to expand into every corner of the world. In the 21st century, the US is facing something akin to the former Soviet Union, but its opponent this time, namely China, is a much tougher rival. Although in the past China was militarily inferior to the Soviet Union, it is now superior to Russia on the diplomatic front and the Chinese have fared much better than the Russians economically.
Recently the US government has fretted over the actions of Beijing, such as the adoption of the "Anti-Secession" Law, which have obviously escalated cross-strait tensions. And now there are the anti-Japanese demonstrations sparked by the approval of new Japanese history textbooks. On the heels of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to China, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (
China also sought to mend fences with India by resolving border disputes and proposing projects to boost bilateral economic cooperation.
To vie for oil resources, China ignored the US policy of isolating Iran and has placed an order for oil valued at US$100 billion. Other than seeking oil sources in Central Asia, the Middle East, Siberia and Southeast Asia, China is also expanding into the US' front yard, Canada, and its back yard, Venezuela. On April 14, Beijing signed a contract with the Canadian province of Alberta to facilitate the transport of Canadian oil to China. Not long ago, China also purchased a large quantity of oil from Latin America, including Venezuela. All these actions have threatened the US' oil supplies and ignited potential diplomatic disputes.
What the US must find most unbearable is the fact that China's "rising" power has persuaded US allies not to align themselves so closely with its interests. Despite US protests, the EU considered lifting the ban on arms sales to China. Australia has already clearly stated that it would not stand with the US against China on the cross-strait issue, and even South Korea has refused to allow its military bases to be used to deploy US troops in the event of a cross-strait conflict.
Although China's military power is still insufficient to challenge US hegemony, it has used its economic and diplomatic clout to advance itself in various arenas of international competition, proving to the world that it is a major power that will not willingly constrain itself within self-imposed limits.
US President George W. Bush seems to have realized this problem, and on April 15 described Sino-US relations as a "very complex and good relationship." China's close neighbor Japan has recently released the 2005 Diplomatic Blue Book, chastising China, saying that its development of gas fields in the East China Sea and incursions of nuclear submarines into its territorial waters, are a serious threat to Japanese national security and sovereignty.
The enactment of the Anti-Secession Law has made China's insistence on its "peaceful rising" an empty slogan. In the face of China's rising through non-peaceful means, the countries that form the two Pacific Ocean island chains have become nervous. Taiwan should sound the alarm and develop a grand strategy, similar to that employed in the 20th century, to outflank the communist threat and respond effectively to the new challenge posed by China.
There is much evidence that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is sending soldiers from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — and is learning lessons for a future war against Taiwan. Until now, the CCP has claimed that they have not sent PLA personnel to support Russian aggression. On 18 April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelinskiy announced that the CCP is supplying war supplies such as gunpowder, artillery, and weapons subcomponents to Russia. When Zelinskiy announced on 9 April that the Ukrainian Army had captured two Chinese nationals fighting with Russians on the front line with details
On a quiet lane in Taipei’s central Daan District (大安), an otherwise unremarkable high-rise is marked by a police guard and a tawdry A4 printout from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicating an “embassy area.” Keen observers would see the emblem of the Holy See, one of Taiwan’s 12 so-called “diplomatic allies.” Unlike Taipei’s other embassies and quasi-consulates, no national flag flies there, nor is there a plaque indicating what country’s embassy this is. Visitors hoping to sign a condolence book for the late Pope Francis would instead have to visit the Italian Trade Office, adjacent to Taipei 101. The death of
By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), joined by the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), held a protest on Saturday on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei. They were essentially standing for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which is anxious about the mass recall campaign against KMT legislators. President William Lai (賴清德) said that if the opposition parties truly wanted to fight dictatorship, they should do so in Tiananmen Square — and at the very least, refrain from groveling to Chinese officials during their visits to China, alluding to meetings between KMT members and Chinese authorities. Now that China has been defined as a foreign hostile force,
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