In September of 2019 the Pacific island nation of Kiribati switched it's diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing, leaving Taiwan with a meager 15 official allies. This move by Kiribati was part of a larger chess game in which China is wielding its diplomatic and economic influence on existing Taiwan allies to 'persuade' them to sever their existing relationships with the government in Taipei.
When Kiribati became the latest nation to shift their allegiance, the American Institute in Taiwan, which serves as a de-facto embassy, condemned the move. However in the same statement which they warned of the potential negative consequences of moving towards Beijing in hope of economic gain, the American Institute reconfirmed their support of the 'One China Policy'. Considering the current state of the U.S.-Taiwan-China relationship the statement makes perfect sense. It relays the notion that while wanting to remain friendly towards Taiwan, the U.S. is unwilling to jeopardize its own economic potential by directly refuting Beijing's claim that Taiwan is part of greater China.
While the logic in the statement is understandable, when even slightly examined the hypocrisy becomes self-evident. How can the United States, a country with no official diplomatic recognition of Taiwan, condemn other nations for abandoning official diplomatic ties that the U.S. hasn't had with Taipei since its own switch to Beijing in 1979?
While recently U.S. - Taiwan relations have been growing warmer with the passage of the Taiwan Travel Act (2018) and the TAIPEI Act (2020), the latter of which directly encourages other nations and international organizations to strengthen ties with the island nation, both fail to recognize Taiwan as an independent state. It is true that Taiwan itself has yet to declare it's own independence, but one can argue that's only reflective of the uncertainty over America's commitment to defending their quasi ally in the face of the Chinese aggression that would almost certainly ensue at such an invocation.
Although Taiwan has made no formal declaration, it's clear (especially under the current second term president Tsai Ing-Wen) that the government in Taipei views themselves as independent. President Tsai herself made this abundantly clear during an interview with the BBC shortly after her re-election where she proclaimed, “We are an independent country already and we call ourselves the Republic of China, Taiwan.”
While pro-Taiwan legislation in the U.S. and the re-election of Tsai in Taiwan are positive steps in the right direction, as long as Taiwan remains stuck in diplomatic limbo, the credibility of the international community and international organizations that kowtow to China, remains shanty at best.
One need look no further that the debacle surrounding Taiwan's involvement in early stages of the Corona-virus pandemic where there is strong evidence that Taiwanese experts were ignored, W.H.O officials hung up on reporters asking about Taiwan, and where Taiwan was rejected observer status in the W.H.O largely in part due to China's influence within the organization. While there is definitely no guarantee that early Taiwanese involvement would have been able to stem the pandemic, it has been one of the most successful countries in handling the virus and the global community would have certainly benefited by having Taiwanese experts be able to freely weigh in on addressing the situation within the W.H.O.
It's time for the United States to stop appeasing China, a country which has proven through; human rights violations in Xinjiang, the takeover of Hong Kong, outlandish territorial claims in the South and East China seas, and predatory lending, that it is is not a force for the greater good that so many hoped it would be with it's welcoming into the global community.
Undoubtedly the U.S. will suffer short to mid-term economic repercussions if it decides to directly rebuke China's claim over Taiwan as Beijing will certainly move to punish Washington with massive tariffs or perhaps complete embargoes. However as we've seen with Huawei, which has now been banned by multiple governments around the world, when the U.S. makes the initial move it gives other nations the courage to follow suit. Unable to cut off trade with all of its major partners, If Beijing realizes the world will no longer put up with its bullying behavior, the CCP will have be forced to re-think its position on Taiwan's autonomy, and certainly will have to rethink how it treats other nations that stand up for the democratic government in Taipei.
If the U.S. wants to continue to proclaim itself as a beacon for liberal democracy, it has to start with Taiwan. It can no longer try to play both sides of the game when one team shares and values the same freedom and liberty it grants its own citizens, while the other is a repressive dictatorship that hopes to crush any and all dissent. Such a move won't come without consequence but if history is any teacher appeasing imperialistic regimes always ends worse than cutting the problem off at the root.
Until an official embassy is opened in Taipei, Taiwan will remain uncertain over the U.S. commitment to freedom and democracy in the region, further emboldening China's imperialistic ambitions.
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