President Joe Biden’s foreign policy continues to threaten U.S. national security, telling Taiwan May 23 that he would defend Taiwan from a Mainland Chinese invasion. Beijing considers Taiwan a breakaway Chinese province, started in the 1949 Maoist Revolution when Gen. Chiang Kai-Shek lead a band of Chinese nationalists to the Island of Formosa. For the last 73 years, Chinese nationalists built a democrat, free market society with U.S. foreign aid and military assistance. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the 1954 Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty, telling Chinese Premier Mao Zedong that the U.S. would defend the island from a Mainland invasion. Mao and successive generations of Chinese rulers accepted that Taiwan was different entity, not a territory subject to Mainland rule. Now under Chinese President Xi Jinping, Taiwan has been a target of Beijing bullying.
When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif,), 82, visited Taipei over constant threats by Beijing Aug. 2, she delivered a message to Xi that she would not be intimidated into changing her plans. Chinese Foreign Ministry jumped up and down for weeks threatening Taiwan and the U.S. Most residents of Taiwan think Beijing is bluffing when it comes to threatening a possible invasion. But Pelosi’s visit triggered the most threatening military drills ever seen in the 73-year history of the Republic of China [ROC]. Pelosi accomplished her mission of saying to Beijing that she would not be stopped from visiting anyone of her choice, rejecting Beijing’s attempt to scuttle her trip. Two weeks after Pelosi’s trip another Congressional delegation led by Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) visited Taipei, infuriating Beijing. Beijing sees the U.S. violation the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, recognizing only one China.
When President Jimmy Carter signed the Taiwan Relations Act into law it invalidated the 1954 Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty, agreeing that the U.S. government would recognize only on China, the one in Beijing. In hindsight, Carter made a big mistake kowtowing to Beijing’s demands. Biden’s May 23 statement about defending Taiwan and Pelosi’s Aug. 2 visit confirmed to Beijing that the U.S. recognizes Taipei’s independence and would support the country militarily from a Chinese invasion. “China will take resolute and strong measures to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” said Chinese Foreign Minister Spokesman Wang Wenbin. “A handful of U.S. politicians, in collusion with the separatist forces of Taiwan independence, are trying to challenge the one-China principle, which is out of their depth and doomed to failure,” said Wenbin
Following up Pelosi’s visit with another Congressional delegation sends exactly the wrong message to Beijing when it comes to de-escalating military tensions. Beijing responded to the new congressional visit with more aggressive military flyovers of the Taiwan Strait, crossing the so-called Defense Identification Zone. New military exercises send a message to the U.S. that China has a “resolute response and strong deterrent against collusion and provocation between the U.S. and Taiwan,” said the Defense Ministry. While the U.S. media jumps up an down about useless boxes of documents found in former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago locked storage room, a new congressional delegation pushes the U.S. into a war with China. Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said today that the U.S. could find itself in a war with Russia and China in short order.
Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) met with Taiwan President Tasa Ing-wen, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu and Taiwan legislators. What message can Beijing receive other than the U.S. promotes Taiwan independence, something that’s happened for the last 73 years. Beijing sends mixed signals over the years, accepting Taiwan’s autonomy, at the same time, demanding the U.S. adhere to a One China policy. “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this year has shown the threat that authoritarian nations pose to the global order,” said Taiwan president Tsai. Tsai’s remarks infuriate Beijing where there’s less tolerance for the kind of game-playing going on between Washington and Taipei. “Their visit this time proves that China cannot stop politicians from any country to visit Taiwan, and it also conveys an important message that the American people stand with Taiwanese people,” said Lo Chih-cheng, head of the National Defense Committew.
No one in Taiwan should conclude that the American people are ready to spill their blood in Taiwan for their independence. Biden and Pelosi can spew whatever anti-Beijing rhetoric they like, but there’s nothing in U.S. foreign policy more reckless than pushing thing to the brink in China. What’s Biden thinking that he can go to war in Russia and China at the same time? Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping have pledged military and economic loyalty to each other. So, when it comes to U.S. national security, Biden has put the U.S. into the most dangerous spot in post WW II history. Kissinger said today that he’s concerned about a war between the U.S. and Russia and China, ignoring the consequences to the economy and foreign policy. White House officials blame China for “overreacting” to Pelosi’s visit, and another Congressional visit. How does that defuse the situation?
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.
