LOS ANGELES.–Retiring U.S. informal ambassador to Taiwan Sandra Oudkirk, head of the American Institute in Taiwan, said she worries about a broader conflict with China in the Taiwan Strait. Oudkirk said the U.S. was “profoundly devoted” to the status quo in Taiwan, meaning that it recognized the independence of a democratic Taiwan in the face of Beijing aggression toward the Republic of China [ROC], the old name for Taiwan. Relations with Taiwan changed when 98-year-old former President Jimmy Carter signed the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act into law, forcing the U.S. to recognize only one China, the one in Beijing. Carter also ended the 1954 Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty that gave Taiwan U.S. defense from Communist China. President Joe Biden, 81, said Sept. 19, 2022 that the U.S. would commit U.S. troops to defend Taiwan from a Beijing invasion.
For a president that refuses to commit U.S. troops to Ukraine, Biden was more forceful when talking about Communist China, especially a possible Beijng invasion. Biden and Ukraine’s 46-year-old President Volodymyr Zelensky say that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a menace trying to take over more of Europe. But if Biden and Zelensky—or any other NATO leader—thought Putin were really a Hitler-like menace to Europe, the U.S. and NATO would commit troops to Ukraine. When it comes to China, Biden has been nearly as aggressive as Ukraine. Oudkirk worries that one mistake, one miscalculations, one error could start a wider war with China. “And that is why we have consistently urged the PRC to avoid coercive or provocative actions both in the Taiwan Strait and in other areas like the South China Sea and off Japan,” said Oudkirk.
Chinese President Xi Jinping says that Taiwan is part of Communist China, whether or not Taiwan considers itself independent. “Because provocative actions are almost by definition dangerous. They run the risk of a miscalculation on an accident that could spark a broader conflict,” Oudkirk said, concerned about eventual confrontation with China. Chinese President Xi Jinping backs Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that the U.S. has been pushing war with the Kremlin. Xi said that Biden has encroached on Russian national security in Eastern Europe, the same way he has in Indo-China. Oudkirk refused to say how the U.S. and Taiwan coordinate their defense capability. Taiwan depends heavily on U.S. arms, something dealing with delays since the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. Taiwan depends heavily on U.S. military intel and hardware to defend its national security.
Biden met today with world leaders in Lucerne, Switzerland over supporting Ukraine’s War with the Russian Federation. Biden said it wasn’t necessary Russia be present at today’s peace summit because it can’t dictate the terms of the Ukraine War. When it comes to China, Biden has provoked Xi by working closely with Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Australia and other Pacific Rim countries to confront Beijing’s aggression in the South China Sea. Biden thinks he can contain China by forming an anti-China coalition. Biden drove Xi into a close economic, military and strategic alliance with the Kremlin. If China did move on Taiwan, it could depend on Russia to supply arms and troops to stave off a U.S. defense, something Biden has created in his first four years. Biden no longer has independent relations with China but must now accept that Russia and China are joined at the hip.
China finds it objectionable that they signed the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act but finds Biden undermining the treaty by continuing to arm Ukraine. Biden finds nothing wrong with arming Ukraine to the teeth to potentially go to war with the Kremlin. But when it comes to Taiwan, Xi doesn’t accept Biden undermining his authority by creating a NATO-like coalition against Beijing in Indo-China. Biden has done more to drive Russia and China into a close military alliance than any other post WW II U.S. president. China now considers the U.S. an adversary and would, if necessary, go to war against the U.S. over Taiwan. Xi sees Biden violating the Taiwan Relations Act by supplying Taipei with lethal weapons designed to repel a possible Beijing invasion. Taiwan complains that since the pandemic, the U.S. has been slow to fulfill military orders against China’s objections.
Biden goes to Lucerne, Switzerland to drum up support for his proxy war in Ukraine against the Kremlin but winds up making a bigger enemy out of Beijing. Xi blames Biden for the Ukraine War, just like he objects to U.S. encroachment in Indo-China. “We look forward to the delivery of military capabilities that Taiwan has purchased over ht past several years and I would just say—continue to watch this space,” said Taiwan Amb. Oudkirk. Admitting publicly that the U.S. arms Taiwan to confront a possible Chinese invasion violates the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act and drives Russia and China into a close economic, military and strategic alliance. Biden’s foreign policy has all but wrecked U.S.-Russia and U.S.-Chinese relations. Biden keeps pushing for a vast coalition against to defend Ukraine but instead has divided the world, creating more U.S. enemies.
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.
