Former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo, who was vocal in his support of Taiwan and opposition to China during his time in office, delivered a speech in Taipei on Thursday, and met with senior Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) figures, such as President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Vice President William Lai (賴清德), Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) and Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮).
On Jan. 1 last year, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced sanctions on 28 members of the outgoing administration of then-US president Donald Trump, saying that the officials and their immediate family members were banned from entering China, Hong Kong or Macau, and companies and institutions associated with them would be restricted from doing business with Beijing.
Pompeo was among the officials.
That Taiwan is the first country Pompeo has visited since leaving office has raised quite a few eyebrows, especially as he was accompanied by Chinese-born adviser Miles Yu (余茂春). Yu received his doctorate in the US, has been a professor at the US Naval Academy and was a major figure behind launching the US-China trade war under the Trump administration.
The visit is sure to be criticized by China as Taiwan “relying on the US and planning independence” and for “seeking strength by colluding with foreigners.”
Beijing accused Tsai of being “thick as thieves” with Pompeo and Yu, adding that Pompeo had only traveled to Taiwan to cash in on giving a speech and from political donations.
How unfortunate it is that people such as former representative to New Zealand Dale Jieh (介文汲), of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), had openly called on Tsai not to meet Pompeo to avoid provoking China and leading to further cross-strait tensions. Jieh added that as Pompeo has been unable to get a job since leaving office, he had nothing to do but work on losing weight, and that he has gone too far with his anti-China rhetoric.
In so doing, they are acting as Beijing’s mouthpiece, aiding and abetting China’s cognitive warfare against Taiwan.
It seems that Pompeo has not met with any senior KMT figures on this trip, and it looks like the KMT is wary of getting too close to him, because it does not want to anger the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Unfortunately for the KMT, Pompeo is extremely popular in Taiwan, and the party is still having trouble divesting itself of its “pro China, anti-US” image.
With Trump, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson all warning that, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Taiwan will be next, the world is now looking at what is happening in this part of the world. That will not make the CCP happy, as the international community will be keeping its attention firmly fixed on Taiwan.
Beijing is intentionally playing down the invasion of Ukraine and is even denying that Taiwan will be next. If the Ukraine situation attracts so much attention and concern from the international community, how much more will Taiwan? It is in the middle of the first island chain — so important for containing China’s expansion — and is home to the world’s biggest semiconductor manufacturer.
US President Joe Biden’s handling of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan was widely regarded as disastrous, showing the US to be weak. It was seen as an opportunity for China. The US’ response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine has also been seen as passive and weak.
Pompeo’s visit, expressing support for Taiwan, refutes the idea that “the US will abandon Taiwan,” which the CCP’s propaganda machine has been pushing, and goes some way to rehabilitating Biden.
It is extremely likely that Pompeo would participate in the Republican primaries for the 2024 US presidential election and is using this visit to increase his political capital. If he is elected US president, where would that leave the KMT?
When the Russian army moved into Ukraine, the West’s response was muted, and many in the pan-blue camp, such as former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起), again began repeating the CCP’s mantra that the US is unreliable and would not go to war to protect Taiwan, that Taiwan should sign a cross-strait peace treaty and that the DPP should recognize the so-called “1992 consensus.”
Meanwhile, China is still disseminating false media reports, like how Taiwanese being evacuated from Ukraine are expressing thanks to Beijing for caring for them in Ukraine.
Taiwan has to be on its guard against the CCP’s attempts to spread disinformation to divide Taiwanese and to weaken their resolve.
Fan Shih-ping is a professor at National Taiwan Normal University’s Department of East Asian Studies.
Translated by Paul Cooper
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