Secretary of State Antony Blinken, 58, told a New York Times forum today that the U.S. would take “unspecified action” in the event of a Mainland China attack on Taiwan. Since Former President Jimmy Carter signed the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, the U.S. committed to supplying Taiwan with defensive and offensive weapons needed to fend off a Chinese attack. President Joe Biden, 78, created a big stir when he said Oct. 22 that the U.S. would come to the defense of Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack. Taiwan has enjoyed independence from Mainland China since the 1949 Maoist Revolution, when Chiang Kai-Shek led a band of anti-communist counter-revolutionaries to the Island of Formosa with U.S. help. Since fleeing Communist China, Chinese nationalists in the Republic of China relied heavily on the U.S. to keep Beijing from seizing the island territory.
Blinken’s statement today offers nothing new the U.S. policy of strategic ambiguity, not saying exactly what the U.S. would do in the event of a Chinese military invasion. Chinese President Xi Jinping has stated unequivocally that he considers Taiwan a part of Communist China, the same as Hong Kong. U.S. and its allies consider Taiwan a different ball of wax, primarily because the Republic of China has been independent of Beijing since 1949. China only started recently to assert sovereignty over Hong Kong, since the British Crown Colony lost its lease on the territory July 1, 1997. China has flexed its muscles on a rebellious pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, leading to tensions between Beijing and Washington. China has certainly cracked down on Hong over the last two years, leaving not much remaining of any pro-democracy opposition. Taiwan’s island geography keeps it independent.
Blinken was asked today what the U.S. would do in the event of a Mainland incursion into Taipei. Blinken told the New York Times forum that the U.S. would take “unspecified action,” continuing the long policy of strategic ambiguity. “At the same time, I think it’s fair to say that we’re not alone in this determination to make sure that we preserve peace and stability in that part of the world,” Blinken said, still not saying what the U.S. would do in the way of an action. Unspecified action today is taken as collective economic sanctions, certainly not joining military coalition to expel Beijing from Taiwan. “There are many countries, both in the region and beyond, that would se any unilateral action to use force to disrupt the status quo as a significant threat to peace and security, and they too would take action in the event that that happens,” Blinken said, clearly referring to economic sanctions.
Blinken’s statements come at a time of tense relations with Beijing. Since Biden accused Beijing of genocide against Muslim Uyghurs in Western China, U.S.-Chinese relations headed south. Sending Blinken and 44-year-old National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan to Anchorage for a summit with China March 18, it didn’t take long for the meeting to deteriorate into name-calling. Since, Xi has shunned Biden, refusing to accept U.S. accusations about committing genocide in Xinjiang Province. When Xi didn’t show up at Glasgow’s COP26 Climate Summit, Biden openly criticized Beijing for not taking it seriously. Today’s announcement by Climate Czar John Kerry that Beijing and Washington would work together to reduce methane gas emissions showed the first positive sign in U.S.-Chinese relations. Beijing has been escalating threats on Taiwan, flying bombing missions over the Taiwan Strait.
U.S.-Chinese relations are at such a low point over the deadly novel coronavirus that there’s little the U.S. can do to placate Beijing. Biden told his 52-year-old Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines to determine the origin of the Covid-19 pandemic. Beijing can’t keep its story straight, insisting the virus was made in America and exported by the U.S. military to Wuhan, China. No one on the world stage believes for a second that the U.S. created the deadly novel coronavirus. Most believe now that the virus was engineered in a Wuhan Institute of Virology [WIV] lab, with joint efforts between China, the U.S. and foreign scientists. So when it comes putting U.S.-China diplomacy back on track, there’s little the U.S. can do other stop blaming Beijing. Today’s best evidence on the origin of the deadly virus points to WIV Chief Virology Shi Zhengli’s bioweaopns lab, not the U.S.
Finding some common ground with Beijing on climate change, especially methane gas disposal, was a good first step by Kerry, maybe opening up some future doors. But like so many other points of conflict, China continues to resist international norms in the South China Sea, bullying its neighbors in the Pacific Rim. When Biden announced a nuclear submarine deal with Australia Sept. 16, it infuriated Beijing. So whatever common ground Kerry found on climate change, it’s small potatoes compared to other issues, including Blinken’s remarks today on Taiwan. Blinken announced that Biden would hold a virtual summit with Xi, sometime as early as next week. Xi wants Biden to back off on blaming China for the deadly novel coronavirus. Beyond that, China doesn’t want to hear more about the U.S. defending Hong Kong or Taiwan, both sore points with Beijing.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
