Taiwan is demonstrably a bipartisan issue in the US, even as politicians exercise caution to avoid provoking Beijing, experts said yesterday after President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) met US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy during a stopover in the US.
McCarthy met with Tsai in Simi Valley near Los Angeles on Wednesday, becoming the third sitting US House speaker to do so since the nations cut formal ties in 1979.
In an interview, National Chengchi University Department of Diplomacy chair Lu Yeh-chung (盧業中) said the meeting was significant as a demonstration of bipartisan support for Taiwan, as McCarthy was joined by fellow lawmakers from both major parties.
Photo: CNA
In the US’ highly polarized political environment, some have voiced concern that Taiwan could become a partisan issue, as Tsai has had more contact with Republican Party members, Lu said.
The situation might change with the rapid pace of US politics, but in the meantime, Tsai is being careful to remain neutral, he added.
Even as the White House was careful to avoid any language that could provoke Beijing, McCarthy during the meeting called Tsai the president of Taiwan, Lu said.
By doing so, the officials highlighted Taiwan’s existence as much as possible while staying within the US’ “one China” framework, he added.
McCarthy’s talk of Taiwan-US relations in terms of shared values and military, economic and technological cooperation also places Taiwan firmly in the “non-geographical Western camp” during a time of confrontation between the “Western” and “non-Western” worlds, Lu said.
How Beijing would interpret this delineation is worth paying attention to, he said, adding that Taiwan’s de facto existence in the international community, as demonstrated by Tsai’s visit, is something China must address.
Other experts said that the meeting is another example of the growing frequency of Taiwan-US interactions, serving to normalize relations to the benefit of bilateral cooperation.
The meeting felt like a routine matter, demonstrating the normalization of such exchanges, National University of Singapore assistant professor Chong Ja Ian (莊嘉穎) said.
Both sides had their own political aims for the meeting, said Li Mingjiang (李明江), an associate professor of international relations at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
For Taiwan, the goal was to strengthen relations with the US while highlighting the importance of Taiwan to US interests, while US politicians hoped to demonstrate bipartisan support for Taiwan, he said.
At the same time, no one used overly sensitive language, showing that US politicians are still cautious of provoking Beijing, he added.
Chong also commented on their choice of news conference venue in front of the Air Force One plane that carried former US president Ronald Reagan, saying it was meant to symbolize US power and support for Taiwan.
Regarding Beijing’s reaction, Li said it is likely wary of the international reaction to any countermeasures in the short term, as former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visit China.
However, it might issue more military, economic and potentially legal countermeasures in the coming days, he added.
If it does run military drills, they would likely not be as large as those held last year after then-US House speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, since the meeting was held on US soil and rhetoric was tempered, Li said.
However, Beijing would “definitely respond” beyond its three-day “joint cruise and patrol special operation” in the Taiwan Strait, he added.
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