During a news conference in Vietnam on Sept. 10, a reporter asked US President Joe Biden about the possibility of China invading Taiwan. Biden replied that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is too busy handling major domestic economic problems to launch an invasion of Taiwan.
On Wednesday last week, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office published a document outlining 21 measures to make the Chinese-controlled Fujian Province into a demonstration zone for relations with Taiwan. The planned measures would expand favorable treatment for Taiwanese people and companies, and seek to attract people from Taiwan to buy property and seek employment in Fujian. In so doing, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is once again applying its two-handed strategy of using peaceful and military methods. Its resort to peaceful methods indirectly confirms what Biden said at the news conference.
For the CCP, when there are things that it cannot achieve through war, it would be better to achieve them through peaceful and less costly “united front” methods. As current conditions are not good for launching a military invasion of Taiwan, it is not surprising to see China playing its “united front” card.
Of course Biden does not have the last word on whether China would launch a military invasion of Taiwan, but for the time being the US enjoys an undisputed leading position in the world. Consequently, US presidents get to see a daily array of intelligence information, gathered and summarized through the US’ technological capabilities or through military, diplomatic, economic and other channels. Biden therefore has greater access to intelligence than other countries’ leaders, and his statements are based on the information he receives.
Another important external factor is the changes that have taken place in the international situation. China’s position in the world today is no longer what it was when Xi became president 10 years ago. Notably, Biden has in recent years adopted a strategy of “vertical and horizontal alliances,” seeking alliances with democratic countries and including relatively new partners like India and Vietnam.
As well as consolidating NATO, this strategy has strung together a united front of countries in the Indo-Pacific region, including the US, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, India and other countries, forming a containment network around communist China. This arrangement poses a new deterrent effect against Xi and his ambition to use military force against Taiwan. It makes Xi more cautious about the price that China would have to pay for attacking Taiwan.
Biden’s “decisive” remarks shouldould help to calm the global atmosphere, which is currently affected by international media making a lot of noise about military confrontation and the danger of war across the Taiwan Strait. Biden’s remarks would also shore up worldwide companies’ confidence about investing in Taiwan and shut the mouths of certain Taiwanese politicians who try to win political points by playing on the theme of “war and peace.”
Of course, Taiwan should not take it easy and let down its guard because of a few words from Biden. On the contrary, it should seize the opportunity to strengthen itself, deepen its democracy, make more connections and garner more international recognition and support.
Paul Lei is a political commentator.
Translated by Julian Clegg
Speaking at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on May 13, former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said that democracies must remain united and that “Taiwan’s security is essential to regional stability and to defending democratic values amid mounting authoritarianism.” Earlier that day, Tsai had met with a group of Danish parliamentarians led by Danish Parliament Speaker Pia Kjaersgaard, who has visited Taiwan many times, most recently in November last year, when she met with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office. Kjaersgaard had told Lai: “I can assure you that ... you can count on us. You can count on our support
Denmark has consistently defended Greenland in light of US President Donald Trump’s interests and has provided unwavering support to Ukraine during its war with Russia. Denmark can be proud of its clear support for peoples’ democratic right to determine their own future. However, this democratic ideal completely falls apart when it comes to Taiwan — and it raises important questions about Denmark’s commitment to supporting democracies. Taiwan lives under daily military threats from China, which seeks to take over Taiwan, by force if necessary — an annexation that only a very small minority in Taiwan supports. Denmark has given China a
Many local news media over the past week have reported on Internet personality Holger Chen’s (陳之漢) first visit to China between Tuesday last week and yesterday, as remarks he made during a live stream have sparked wide discussions and strong criticism across the Taiwan Strait. Chen, better known as Kuan Chang (館長), is a former gang member turned fitness celebrity and businessman. He is known for his live streams, which are full of foul-mouthed and hypermasculine commentary. He had previously spoken out against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and criticized Taiwanese who “enjoy the freedom in Taiwan, but want China’s money”
A high-school student surnamed Yang (楊) gained admissions to several prestigious medical schools recently. However, when Yang shared his “learning portfolio” on social media, he was caught exaggerating and even falsifying content, and his admissions were revoked. Now he has to take the “advanced subjects test” scheduled for next month. With his outstanding performance in the general scholastic ability test (GSAT), Yang successfully gained admissions to five prestigious medical schools. However, his university dreams have now been frustrated by the “flaws” in his learning portfolio. This is a wake-up call not only for students, but also teachers. Yang did make a big
RSS