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On June 1, the so-called "U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade" was unveiled. As CNN describes it, this new initiative "marks the official launch of trade negotiations" between the U.S. and China's Taiwan region. It's a precursor to a free trade agreement.
On the same day, Nikkei reported that the U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin indicated that America is willing to expand arms aid and military training for the Taiwan region.
The United States has been trying to "buy" China's Taiwan region for some time now. It tried doing it through political sweet talking, elevating Taiwan's stature in the international community while sending senior officials, cabinet members, senators and congressmen to the region; It tried doing it by providing security guarantees in billions of dollars worth of arms sales; And it's formalizing the economic relationship with the initiative and a potential free trade agreement down the road.
The reason why the verb here is "buy" is that the United States is only wielding the region as a cudgel against China, hoping to contain China's growing influence by undermining the country's national sovereignty and security. And anyone with a logical political mind would recognize that the United States has no intention of going to war with China over the Taiwan issue.
The China-U.S. relationship is far too complicated and enormous to risk ruining it. Even with all the political headwinds, the trade volume between the two countries reached more than $750 billion in 2021, growing by nearly 30 percent year on year. The Chinese mainland is still the largest source for foreign students in the U.S., accounting for about 35 percent of all foreign students studying in American colleges. According to the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, more than 70 percent of its corporate members feel optimistic about the Chinese market in the next few years.
File photo shows the Taipei 101 skyscraper, a landmark in Taipei, southeast China's Taiwan. [Photo/Xinhua]
Not to mention, with the inflation running high in the United States, conflicts in Ukraine and the tough elections that the Biden administration is heading into, a stable relationship with China would be crucial to America itself and to the world.
This is merely a snapshot of the importance of the China-U.S. relationship. The Taiwan issue is incredibly contentious and destabilizing, but rocking the boat to the point of sinking it doesn't serve the overall interest of both countries.
The real peril of America's actions is what it would do to the separatist forces in Taiwan and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party that's leaning more and more towards "Taiwan independence". Tsai Ing-wen, the leader of DPP, has been busy meeting with U.S. officials, carrying rocket launcher on her shoulder and talking about Taiwan being an "independent country" to international media.
What would these independence-leaning politicians do when they get more military, economic and political support from the United States? It serves their own political interest to become more aggressive in advocating for "Taiwan independence" and, with that, creating a situation that neither serves China nor America's goals. The U.S. is trying to wield a weapon that's effectively a double-edged sword.
Trying to "buy" Taiwan's obedience is a dangerous move for the United States and China. By stepping up its engagement with the region, the U.S. is increasing the chances for the region to drag America into a conflict that it doesn't want and can't afford to endure. The United States needs to change its course of actions, now.
