To recalibrate its Cold War alliances, the US in 1971 made a decision that has reverberated for decades: It supported UN Resolution 2758, recognizing the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as “China’s” sole representative at the UN and thereby expelling the Republic of China (Taiwan). In doing so, Washington laid the foundation for its “one China policy” — a diplomatic compromise meant to engage with China and end the Vietnam War, but which left Taiwan in a state of permanent limbo.
Half a century later, the costs of that policy are mounting. Taiwan remains a democratic, technologically advanced nation of 23 million people, yet it is denied membership in international organizations and stripped of diplomatic recognition. Meanwhile, the PRC has weaponized the “one China” narrative to claim sovereignty over Taiwan, label the Taiwan Strait as its “internal waters” and threaten international shipping routes that carry more than 20 percent of global trade.
This is no longer just Taiwan’s problem. If China were to subjugate Taiwan, the ripple effects would endanger the global order. Taiwan produces more than 90 percent of the world’s most advanced semiconductors. Losing access to or control of that capability would derail the world’s future in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and other critical technologies.
To avoid this, the US must first recognize a basic truth: Taiwan is already a sovereign and democratic country. US policymakers should urgently abandon strategic ambiguity and move to a stance of clarity. Taiwan possesses all the markers of statehood — territory, people, governance — and deserves recognition as such.
Second, it should continue to defend the Taiwan Strait as international waters, with multilateral naval and diplomatic actions to affirm freedom of navigation and reject China’s attempts to redefine maritime law.
Third is the importance of secure semiconductor supply chains. The US should build diversified partnerships with Taiwan’s tech sector while bolstering, not hollowing out, the nation’s domestic capabilities.
Fourth, it should support Taiwan’s participation in global organizations, reinstating the nation’s observer status in bodies such as the WHO and the International Civil Aviation Organization, and champion its contributions.
Finally, it should promote Taiwan’s democratic story: Its transition from authoritarianism to democracy is unmatched in the Chinese-speaking world. The nation’s story can counter Beijing’s narrative and inspire other emerging democracies.
The Cold War logic that once drove the “one China policy” no longer holds. China today is not a balance against Soviet power — it is a revisionist autocracy with global ambitions.
Correcting the diplomatic isolation of Taiwan is not provocation. It is moral and strategic clarity.
Tu Hsin-fu is a Taiwanese commentator and indigenous advocate.
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