Taiwan’s attempt to challenge international consensus has been ended through cooperation between the US and China. The past decade proved Taiwan to be a troublemaker that wished to gain from a possible conflict between China and the US. Hence, both Beijing and Washington had to keep Taiwan in check on several occasions, as it walked into a dead-end alley and was marginalized internationally. Taiwan’s provocations actually supplied Beijing and Washington with a reason to communicate, as they had to clarify their strategic intentions.
Taiwan will have a hard time getting rid of its reputation as a “troublemaker” without the support of the US and China. Today, Beijing and Washington are the biggest winners from the reconciliation between China and Taiwan.
The US and China may come up with creative ways of encouraging Taiwan to stick to its policy of reconciling with Beijing. However, after business conflicts become a core issue between Beijing and Washington, the complex business relations that exist between Taiwan, China and the US will prove to be a hard test of the Taiwanese government’s wisdom.
Chen Hsin-chih is an associate professor of political science at National Cheng Kung University.
TRANSLATED BY EDDY CHANG
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