President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has always refused to accept the so-called “1992 consensus” because of what the “one China” principle implies, but she does not want to provoke Beijing either. Therefore, she has simply said that she will maintain the “status quo.” Still, Beijing has been reluctant to accept this compromise and continues to demand that she recognize the “1992 consensus.” It has tried to pressure her to do so by various measures, such as cutting the number of Chinese tourists to Taiwan.
Meanwhile, US president-elect Donald Trump, who referred to Tsai as president of Taiwan after their telephone conversation, said in a TV interview that the US does not need China “dictating” to it. China was not pleased.
Now, Japan has added to Beijing’s irritation by changing the name of its de facto embassy in Taiwan from the Interchange Association, Japan to the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, as of today.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the US naval base at Pearl Harbor. Accompanied by US President Barack Obama, Abe offered condolences to the victims of Japan’s attack on the US base, while talking of an eventual reconciliation.
Prior to that, Obama visited Hiroshima, Japan, in May last year. So the last stone obstructing the US-Japan alliance has been removed. China will no longer be able to sow discord between the two with their past resentments over World War II.
While China busies itself trying to steal Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, both the US and Japan could potentially establish diplomatic relations with the nation. If China can recognize North Korea and South Korea, why can the US and Japan not recognize “one China” and “one Taiwan?” If they do, would Beijing really sever ties with them?
It is extremely unlikely that China would terminate diplomatic ties with the US and Japan over the Taiwan issue. If it loses the two major powers, it would be exchanging two pairs of pants for 22 pieces of underwear. Where is the sense in that? Now it is time for China to think long and hard over the matter. Perhaps Beijing has already found itself trapped in some quicksand when dealing with Tsai.
Tseng Chia-chen is a pharmacist.
Translated by Eddy Chang
Could Asia be on the verge of a new wave of nuclear proliferation? A look back at the early history of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which recently celebrated its 75th anniversary, illuminates some reasons for concern in the Indo-Pacific today. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin recently described NATO as “the most powerful and successful alliance in history,” but the organization’s early years were not without challenges. At its inception, the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty marked a sea change in American strategic thinking. The United States had been intent on withdrawing from Europe in the years following
My wife and I spent the week in the interior of Taiwan where Shuyuan spent her childhood. In that town there is a street that functions as an open farmer’s market. Walk along that street, as Shuyuan did yesterday, and it is next to impossible to come home empty-handed. Some mangoes that looked vaguely like others we had seen around here ended up on our table. Shuyuan told how she had bought them from a little old farmer woman from the countryside who said the mangoes were from a very old tree she had on her property. The big surprise
The issue of China’s overcapacity has drawn greater global attention recently, with US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen urging Beijing to address its excess production in key industries during her visit to China last week. Meanwhile in Brussels, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last week said that Europe must have a tough talk with China on its perceived overcapacity and unfair trade practices. The remarks by Yellen and Von der Leyen come as China’s economy is undergoing a painful transition. Beijing is trying to steer the world’s second-largest economy out of a COVID-19 slump, the property crisis and
As former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrapped up his visit to the People’s Republic of China, he received his share of attention. Certainly, the trip must be seen within the full context of Ma’s life, that is, his eight-year presidency, the Sunflower movement and his failed Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, as well as his eight years as Taipei mayor with its posturing, accusations of money laundering, and ups and downs. Through all that, basic questions stand out: “What drives Ma? What is his end game?” Having observed and commented on Ma for decades, it is all ironically reminiscent of former US president Harry