US ‘concerns’ over Taiwan-China Relations

A small island in the Western Pacific ocean, Taiwan is located off the southeastern shore of mainland China. During World War II, it was held by Japanese forces and later occupied by General Chiang Kai-shek and supporters of the Nationalist Party. Today, it is home to over 22 million people and its bustling economy has placed it foremost among the East Asian “Tigers”. Despite strong economic ties with China, the relationship between Taiwan and China has recently been shrouded with uneasiness. This period of instability has been further irritated by US attempts to “alleviate” the situation. Flip-flopping in US policy towards Taiwan and China serves only the deepen the mistrust. If the US continues in its ostensibly earnest “favors”, the situation can only get worse.

In the years following World War II, the Communist Revolution in China forced Chiang Kai-shek and the Nationalist Party to flee the mainland and occupy Taiwan. The US, concerned with the threat of Communism in “Red China”, limited relationships with the mainland and, along with many other western bloc nations, recognized the Republic of China (Taiwan) as the sole government and representative of China. When tensions arose in the Korean War, President Harry S. Truman ordered the 7th Fleet to the Strait of Taiwan and provided Taiwan with funds and military supplies through the Lend Lease Act. But was US interest in protecting Taiwan from China genuine? Not if we let events speak for themselves; in the 1960s, the US overlooked the Republic of China in favor of the People’s Republic of China, and in the years that followed, severed all diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Genuine concern for the protection of Taiwan? I think not.

All seemed well in the tentative marriage of China and the US; by breaking diplomatic relations with Taiwan, the Nixon administration had essentially accepted the One China Policy. But wait, it gets better. After the supposed cut off of relations with Taiwan, the US resumed the sale of arms to Taiwan, unofficially, of course. After China began to test intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), the US provided further support to Taiwan when President Clinton sent warships to the Strait of Taiwan. The second time in history, the US had sent a fleet of warships to interpose between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan. Relations with Taiwan seemed to be going well; in a period of three years, from 2003 to 2006, the US had supplied Taiwan with $4.1 billion in weapons. And yet, this relationship met a hitch when in 2007 to 2008, the US suspended the sale of weapons to Taiwan. Soon enough, in October of 2008, the US struck a deal to sell $6.4 billion worth of military equipment. It’s difficult to see the logic in helping a country preserve peace by selling it weapons.

Given the past record of the US in Taiwan-China relations, it becomes plain to see that the term “flip-flopping” is not an overstatement. If the Taiwan-China issue is a fire, the US is simply kindling the flames. In addition, it is difficult to discern the motives behind US foreign policy regarding Taiwan and China. Does the US support China? If so, why is it supplying arms to Taiwan? Then perhaps the US support Taiwan? If so, why are packages addressed from Taiwan labeled, “Taiwan, China”? One thing is for certain, the US sure wasn’t shy about expressing its distaste in the former Soviet Union’s excursions in Afghanistan; do I smell hypocrisy? The bottom line is this: US intervention in the Taiwan-China issue establishes the US as a flip-flopper and hurts relations between Taiwan and China.

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