Taiwan Expands Ties with U.S. in Attempt to Reduce Chinese Influence
President Tsai Ing-wen has attempted to distance from Taiwan from Chinese by strengthening its economic and military relationships with other countries, most notably the U.S. (Wikimedia Commons).
Taiwan struck an investment deal with the U.S. on September 30 in an attempt to distance itself from the influence of mainland China. Rising Chinese aggression towards the island democracy has resulted in Taiwan strengthening its military, defense, and economic relationships with other countries to become less dependent on the mainland. The U.S., Vietnam, and Taiwan criticized China for running its third set of military drills in the contested South China Sea this week. The ROC’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu asserted that China’s military drills are a form of “diplomatic suppression and military threats” used to intimidate Taiwan.
Mainland China has claimed control over Taiwan for decades, although it has never had direct control over the island since it declared itself a country in 1949. Beijing has tried to assimilate Taiwan with the policy of “one country, two systems,” but after witnessing how Beijing stripped the autonomy of Hong Kong, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has stressed the importance of Taiwan’s democratic freedom. “After Hong Kong, Taiwan stands increasingly on the front lines of freedom and democracy,” she said in August. Since then, President Tsai has focused on bolstering Taiwan’s economy and military defense to find new allies and protect itself from the threat of forced assimilation.
Taiwan’s deal with the U.S. is a part of its strategy to diversify its business interests. Tsai’s “New Southbound Policy” includes plans to move Taiwan’s economic interests away from the mainland and toward South and Southeast Asia. Chairman of the Taiwan International Strategic Study Society Wang Kung-yi said the deal with the U.S. “is part of the U.S. scheme to work with Taiwan and other like-minded countries to re-establish a new global supply chain so that they don’t need to rely on China.” However, researcher Lee Chun emphasized the need to ensure the U.S. deal did not exclude Taiwan from participating in the larger U.S.-Australia and U.S.-Japan frameworks. Lee also stressed the importance of Taiwan pursuing its own business interests, rather than simply playing a part in the U.S. plan to counter China.
Despite Beijing’s protests, other countries besides the U.S. have officially backed Taiwan. The European People’s Party (EPP) issued a statement on Monday in support of Taiwan while also condemning China’s actions concerning the intimidation of Taiwan, the keeping of secrets about COVID-19, and the suppression of human rights in Tibet and Hong Kong. In response to this statement, Chinese Defense Ministry Spokesman Senior Col. Ren Quoqiang and Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Webin both warned the U.S. and other countries that supported Taiwan:“Those who play with fire will burn themselves,” Ren exclaimed at a Beijing news briefing on October 1.
Taiwanese military spending has jumped to an all-time high. Despite this growing military budget, a poll has suggested that Taiwanese citizens do not have confidence in the Taiwanese military. According to a poll from Taiwan News, 45 percent of Taiwanese people are “not at all confident” in the ROC’s ability to defend itself. However, the same poll revealed that 60 percent of Taiwanese people believe the U.S. would send troops to help if China attacked.
China has threatened to attack and claim the island before the U.S. can mobilize. “The PLA is capable of launching a full-scale attack and capturing the island within hours,” tweeted Chief Editor of the CCP’s Global Times, Hu Xijin. Although the U.S. has not stated its intent to send troops to Taiwan, it is well-aware of Taiwan’s strategic position in preventing China from spreading its influence in the western Pacific. Taiwan insists that U.S. involvement will not create a proxy war between China and the U.S., since Taiwan will fight to defend its own independence. But the US remains Taiwan’s most important ally, both as a military and economic partner.