Taiwan Is Another Major Issue In Growing US-China Tension

Tensions between the US and China are reaching multi-year highs on the coronavirus, and this is also making other long-standing issues much bigger deals and potential flashpoints. On Wednesday, this came in the form of the island of Taiwan.

Taiwan is a de-facto autonomous island off of China, but still considered part of China. Decades of autonomy have continued, with US support. China sometimes bristles, but so long as there is no declaration of independence they seem willing to live with it.

Increasingly vocal US backing for Taiwan is being responded to with annoyance and warnings, probably because everything else is so tense and China wants to show they are standing up to the US on all fronts.

Taiwan’s President Tsai has started a second term, with the US praising this, and China threatens to absorb the island “by force, if necessary,” an issue which again seemingly is only coming up because the US and China are at this crossroads in bilateral ties.