The island of Taiwan is one of the hot topics of relationships between China and the United States and many believe that a possible next conflict could break out precisely over control of the island. For Beijing a rebellious province. For Washington, a territory that needs to be defended against ambitions Xi Jinping. Meanwhile, the question of his status becomes increasingly unclear. And in the cracks of politics and international law, a reality of ideological and existential divergence between the two superpowers is emerging, with the danger that it will degenerate into a conflict that neither actor wants and which nevertheless always seems dangerously close. The latest move by the Biden administration In this regard, it explains both the importance of Taiwan in the relations between the two powers and the difficulties in defining the triangular relationship between the US, China and the island.
In fact, Washington decided to send the first one package direct of military aid Taipei unleashing the inevitable wrath of China. According to US officials, the aid volume is $80 million. A State Department memo A report obtained by CNN said the foreign military financing fund “will be used to strengthen the country’s self-defense capabilities.” Taiwan through a combined defense capability and increased maritime domain awareness and maritime security capability.” However, the problem is of a formal nature. And therefore, as always in diplomacy, of substance. This program is officially only aimed at foreign governments Washington is still tied to the “One China” policy defined by the Richard Nixon duo – Henry Kissinger. The problem is not the volume of aid, which is well below what Washington normally provides, but the political profile.
The China, In fact, it would consider as violated the doctrine that governs, even if only at a formal level, the US vision of Taiwan’s non-statehood. Xi’s government, which has said it wants to resolve the island issue by 2050 – although some observers believe acceleration is possible – commented on Biden’s move through the Defense Ministry spokesman: Wu Qian. The official stressed that the aid “does nothing more than feed the U.S. military and industrial complex while compromising the security and well-being of our fellow Americans.” Taiwan“. A sentence that confirms that the island remains an exclusively internal issue for Beijing.
The US State Department reiterated that no policy change was underway Towards Taipei and the “one China”. Meanwhile, in the very same days that the Biden administration launched the relief package, a report from the commission House of Commons Foreign Affairs The British government risks becoming a trigger for further tensions. The text states that Taiwan has everything it needs to be recognized as a form of statehood. And all this just hours after the meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his British counterpart James Cleverly, in which the former said that “Taiwan independence is incompatible with stability in the Strait.”
It is quite likely that the double blow of US military aid and the bipartisan report from the British Parliament – and thus Washington’s best ally – will be seen as alarm signals by China. And a reaction that could result in increased military pressure on the island cannot be ruled out. Beijing’s air and naval forces have been surrounding the island for some time with continuous movements and exercises. Wu Qian warned that the military would take “necessary and decisive countermeasures.” Not to mention that Xi, weakened by the internal economic crisis, may feel that he is in trouble or even under pressure within the ranks of the Communist Party when it comes to what has always been one of the pillars of his Agenda for the future of China was.
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Lorenzo Vita