Chinese US experts once thought of US President Donald Trump as a mere businessman and a pragmatist who would prioritize economic ties with China over geopolitical issues. They predicted that he would adopt isolationism, thereby allowing China the opportunity to take control of the Asia-Pacific and the world.
They were wrong. Trump took the initiative from the beginning.
Following his phone call with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Trump challenged Beijing’s “one China” principle and criticized it for militarizing the South China Sea. He also criticized China for not meeting the responsibilities of a big power and curbing North Korea’s nuclear development, as well as currency manipulation and mercantilism.
This panicked Beijing, as he turned out to be entirely different from former US president Barack Obama, who would readily agree to any of Beijing’s requests.
Following Trump’s phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) earlier this month, Chinese state-owned media and Beijing’s mouthpieces soon began spreading the news that Trump had accepted “one China” and falsely claimed that Trump had made a major concession.
In fact, Trump did not back down and followed up on his show of goodwill with a strong statement from the White House, saying: “President Trump agreed, at the request of President Xi, to honor our ‘one China’ policy.”
The US’ “one China” policy is different from Beijing’s “one China” principle in that the former recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the only China, but does not view China as having sovereignty over Taiwan. In addition, the US opposes the use of military force or other forms of coercion to annex Taiwan or otherwise change its status.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has mentioned the US’ commitments to Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act and the “six assurances.” On Feb. 9, he attended a meeting of the White House National Security Council deciding the key topics for Trump’s conversation with Xi and the content of the administration’s “one China” policy. It has been reported that he refused to let Taiwan be used as a bargaining chip.
Several hours after his conversation with Xi, Trump held a White House meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe which unsettled and upset Beijing.
In the meeting, the two leaders promised to step up security cooperation between the US and Japan, which included the US confirming that defense of the disputed Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) — known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan — was part of the US’ commitment. Trump received Abe and his wife with high honors and even hosted the couple in his Miami resort, showcasing the two countries’ special rapport.
Trump is not an isolationist. His approach to foreign policy and national security is to promote “peace through strength.” He is significantly rebuilding the US Navy, increasing the number of warships from 274 to 350 after the Obama administration’s cuts to the nation’s defense budget.
Under Trump, the White House is taking a more aggressive position on the South China Sea issue, saying that in order to ensure the security and interests of itself and other nations in the region, it will prevent China from continuing to build artificial islands, expanding its military force in the disputed waters.
On Saturday, the US aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and its battle group began patrolling the South China Sea, challenging China’s sovereignty claims by sailing within 12 nautical miles (22.2km) of its claimed territory.
This is a statement of the US’ determination to defend security in the Asia-Pacific region and counter China’s hegemony.
Parris Chang is professor emeritus of political science at Pennsylvania State University and former deputy secretary-general of the National Security Council.
Translated by Tu Yu-an
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