Showing the U.S.-Chinese relations at an all-time low, a new Defense Authorization Bill provides new $10 billion out of a $858 billion military budget for Taiwan defense. China expressed “strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition” to the new Defense Authorization Act, spending more cash on Taiwan’s defense. China considers the island nation of Taiwan as part of Mainland China, something totally rejected by the independent, democratic Island of Formosa. Taiwan has a long history dating back to the 1949 Maoist Revolution where former Chinese Gen. Chaing Kai Shek led a band to Chinese nationalists to escape the mainland, taking refuge in Formosa. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the 1954 Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty into law, protecting Taiwan from a Chinese invasion. Former President Jimmy Carter changed everything signing the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act.
Working on completing U.S.-Chinese relations, Carter signed the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act where the U.S. agreed to recognize only one China, the one in Beijing. Also part of the Taiwan Relations Act was ending the 1954 Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty, leaving Taiwan to defend itself in the event of a mainland invasion. For the last 45 years with the Taiwan Relations Act, every president engaged in “strategic ambiguity” when it came to the U.S. defending Taiwan. President Joe Biden, 80, was the first U.S. president to state openly Sept. 23 that the U.S. would defend Taiwan with U.S. troops if China tried to annex Taiwan. Biden’s statements came after 82-year-old House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei Aug 4, throwing gasoline on a volatile situation with Communist China. Pelosi’s visit antagonized Beijing to the point of stirring up the possibility of war with China.
Biden started on the wrong food with Beijing in its first summit in Anchorage, Alaska March 18, 2021, accusing Beijing of genocide against Muslim Uyghurs. Since then, things have gone from bad-to-worse, driving Beijing and Moscow in a strategic economic and military alliance since the Feb. 24 Ukraine War. Biden demanded that 69-year-old Chinese President Xi Jinping join his Western alliance against the Kremlin for its war with Ukraine. When Xi refused, Biden continued to push to point that Beijing sends war planes and shipsinto the Taiwan Strait, letting Taipei know that the U.S. can only offer the Island Nation so much protection. China retaliated against Biden’s Ukraine policy, buying more crude oil from Moscow than ever before. U.S.-Chinese relations are almost as bad as U.S.-Russian relations where Moscow and Washington find themselves in bloody proxy war in Ukraine.
Whatever benefits to Taiwan with the latest Defense Authorization Act, it’s all but wrecked U.S.-Chinese relations for the foreseeable future. One wrong move, one miscalucation, one mishap could cause a shooting war in the Taiwan Strait with the United States. Biden walks dangerously close to a two-front war, one in Ukraine and the other in the Taiwan Strait. If Biden doesn’t pull his dangerous foreign policy from the brink, the U.S. could end up in a two-front war. Taiwan rejects any claim Beijing has on Taiwan’s independence, essentially sovereignty. Taiwan’s Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng expressed appreciation for U.S. support, knowing that it antagonizes Beijing. Whatever informal relations the U.S. has with Taipei, it’s clear from Biden that he would defend Taiwan from a Chinese invasion. Biden’s foreign policy has turned China and Russia into mortal enemies, ending decades of U.S. relations trying to find common ground to solve world problems.
Only recently, given the dangerous relations between Washington, Beijing and Taiwain relations are tense. Taiwan Semiconductor, a main supplier to iPhones, agreed to open up a semi-conductor plan in Arizona to offset a possibility of a war with China. Biden has done nothing to improve U.S.-Chinese relations, pushing things to the brink with his Sept. 23 statement that he would defend Taiwan with U.S. troops. Chinese President Xi Jinping at some point may do something provocative in the Taiwan Strait beyond the periodic saber-rattling sending in war planes and naval ships. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wan welcomes U.S. military aid and condemns in the strongest possible way China’s effort to declare it sovereignty over Formosa. Taiwan has said that any attempt by Beijing to invade Taiwan would be met with the strongest possible repulsion, leaving Pentagon support to Taipei crucial.
U.S-Chinese relations has hit an all-time low under Biden, threatening to go war against Beijing. When it comes to Taiwan, Biden shouldn’t throw gasoline on the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, where former President Jimmy Carter promised to recognize only one China, the one in Beijing. China wasn’t happy with the new Defense Appropriation Act that restricts the U.S. from buying computer chips from China. Not only does China have to put up with Biden’s treats to send U.S. troops to defend Taiwan, it must accept that Beijing can’t supply computer chips to the U.S. “The case ignores the facts to exaggerate a ‘China threat’ wantonly interferes in China’s internal affairs and attacks and smears the Chinese Communist Party . . .” said Chinese Foreign Ministry. Unless there’s a change heart at the White House the U.S. could find itself in a not-too-distant future fighting a two front war.
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.
