US Secretary of Health Alex Azar arrived in Taiwan on Sunday, making him the highest-level US official to visit the island since the US changed diplomatic relations with China in 1979. On Monday, Azar met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.
In 2018, President Trump signed the Taiwan Travel Act into law, a bill that allows high-level US officials to visit Taiwan, and vice-versa. This act paved the way for Azar’s visit.
Azar’s visit is centered around the coronavirus pandemic. The Trump administration has used the pandemic to increase hostilities with China, criticizing Beijing’s response and praising Taiwan. “Taiwan has been a model of transparency and cooperation in global health during the Covid-19 pandemic and long before it,” Azar said in a statement released ahead of the visit.
After the Chinese Communist Party took control of Beijing in 1949, Washington’s ally Chiang Kai-shek and his Kuomintang Party fled to Taiwan. Between then and 1979, the US recognized the island as China and had no diplomatic relationship with Beijing.
Since 1979 the US has formally recognized Beijing’s “One-China” policy and does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan. But Washington has supported Taipei in other ways. The US regularly sells weapons and military equipment to Taiwan, and members of Congress openly voice their support for the island.
While it has not gained much traction, Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL) recently introduced the Taiwan Invasion Prevention Act, which would authorize the US to take military action against Beijing in the event of a Chinese incursion on Taiwan.
amerikan imposing imperialism in Asia
This is probably the biggest risk there is globally of WW3. It would go something like:
1/ Taiwan declares independence after America gives the go ahead
2/ China declares a sea blockade, threatens to board or sink ships breaking it
3/ There’s an exchange of fire, lots of Chinese vessels sunk, one or two American ones. Ends with informal stand off
4/ The USA imposes Iran like sanctions on China to attempt to destroy the Chinese economy as a punishment, depriving China of raw materials and other resources
5/ China threatens all its neighbours with invasion if they obey US sanctions or host US military bases
Then the real conflict starts
Taiwan doesn’t really need to “declare independence” since it’s never not been independent.
It wasn’t independent during the acquisition of Taiwan by Japan from 1895 to 1945.
True enough, so correction: Taiwan doesn’t really need to “declare independence” since it’s never not been independent of the post-1949 mainland Communist Party regime.
It might want to be recognised as one properly and have a seat in the UN. But yes, if it shows restraint all this can be avoided, and the USA and China will have to find something else to fight over.
The main topic of discussion is for Taiwan to stay the course in not making chips for Huawai.
Giving Tsai Ing-wen the yea or nay on declaring formal independence is probably the real reason for the trip. Taiwan always seems
to be a bargaining chip for the US with China, since Nixon’s visit.