INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s latest move on Taiwan may escalate the tension in the US-China relations, further complicating a strained bilateral relationship shortly before President-elect Joe Biden takes office, said former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
“What Pompeo is doing is laying a whole series of landmines for the incoming Biden administration … salting the earth in the U.S.-China relationship in general, and laying landmines on Taiwan in particular,” Rudd told CNBC’s Squawk Box Asia, today Monday.
Over the weekend, Pompeo announced the lifting of all “self-imposed restrictions” on US relations with Taiwan, a democratic and self-ruled island that China claims as its own territory.
Also read: 2020 | A year full of wars – The deadliest conflicts around the world
Pompeo said in a statement on Saturday that the US had unilaterally limited contact between its officials and their Taiwanese counterparts for several decades “in an attempt to appease the Communist regime in Beijing.” He then declared all those restrictions are “no more.”
The move could mark the end of the “One China” policy, said Rudd, who is now president of the Asian Society Policy Institute.
The “One China” policy is the principle in which the United States and the international community recognize that there is only one Chinese government – under the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing.
“This has been the mainstay of strategic stability for the last 40 years or so,” said the former Australian leader.
“I think we need to understand that we are moving to the end of this policy. And what does this mean for markets? What does this mean for the international community? It means a new era of real strategic instability as this is a fundamental item of faith in Beijing.”
The Communist Party has practically never ruled Taiwan, but Beijing sees the reunification of the island with the mainland as a possibility and so Taiwan has no right to pursue its own international diplomacy.
China and Taiwan react to Pompeo’s move
China has reportedly criticized the US decision to lift restrictions on Taiwan, with Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry thanking Pompeo on Twitter.
Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said China was opposed to Pompeo’s move and would resolutely fight back attempts to sabotage its interest.
I'm grateful to @SecPompeo & @StateDept for lifting restrictions unnecessarily limiting our engagements these past years. I'm also thankful for strong bipartisan support in Congress for the #Taiwan🇹🇼 Assurance Act, which advocates a review of prior guidelines. The closer … 1/2 https://t.co/2UrT5d7Wws
— 外交部 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan) 🇹🇼 (@MOFA_Taiwan) January 10, 2021
Meanwhile, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said the lifting of US restrictions on Taiwan was a “big thing.”
“Taiwan-US relations have been elevated to a global partnership. The Foreign Ministry will not let our guard down and hope to continue to strengthen the development of Taiwan’s relations with the United States.”
Also read: “Without fear of death”| Xi Jinping orders Chinese army to maintain full-time combat readiness
Military threat
Military tensions between mainland China and Taiwan have escalated sharply in recent years, reaching their highest since the mid-1990s, some analysts say. Chinese fighter jets made an incursion record (380 in total) on Taiwan’s defence zone last year, according to Taiwanese military officials.
In addition, China has increased its military operations in recent months, with military exercises near the Taiwan border, and it will not be a surprise if these operations increase even more after this development.
Last month, China sent an aircraft carrier into the Taiwan Strait a day after a US warship sailed there. Beijing’s increased military presence in the region took place as Taipei launched a colossal US weapon program including 300 Patriot Pac-3 anti-aircraft missiles. Sources even say that by 2027 Taiwan will have a total of 650 missiles of this type.
Meanwhile, the Taiwanese Armed Forces are being trained daily with undiminished intensity in counter-insurgency drills by the People’s Liberation Army of China.
Tanks, attack helicopters, artillery systems and mortars are being deployed daily in various scenarios fighting enemy forces, so that Taiwan makes it clear to Beijing that a landing on its territory would be a major fatal mistake.
Also read: Chinese SU-35 crash | Taiwan denies allegations that it shot it down – VIDEO
NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIPTION
South Korea | President Yun declared martial law
President Yun Suk-geol of South Korea declared “emergency martial law”. The country’s leader decided this after previously…
Syria | Half of Aleppo in the Hands of Jihadists
Half of Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest urban center, has been seized by jihadists and their allies, two days after they launched…
Ukraine-Russia | Exchange of bodies of fallen soldiers
The Ukrainian authorities announced on Friday that Russia had handed over the bodies of 502 Ukrainian soldiers killed in the war between…
Thales | Upgrade the targeting pods Talios with AI
The French company Thales recently announced the upgrade of its Talios-type targeting pods. These systems, which can be…
South Korea | President Yun declared martial law
President Yun Suk-geol of South Korea declared “emergency martial law”. The country’s leader decided this after previously…
SCYTALYS | Supply of Link 22 Systems to Canada
SCYTALYS S.A., a company specializing in interoperability systems, announced the signing of a major contract by the Canadian Armed Forces…
Blackwolf Private Security Services | Tailored Solutions for top-notch security
In today’s world, security is essential, not optional and as such, Blackwolf Private Security Services Ltd., understanding the…
Saudi Arabia | The new part of the GCAP new generation fighter development program
Cooperation between Italy, Britain, and Japan to build an advanced sixth-generation GCAP (Global Combat Air Programme) fighter jet…
France | Rafale M fighter Conducts Aerial Refuelling of an A400M for the First Time
A French Navy Rafale M fighter jet refuelled for the first time an A400M military transport aircraft. The NARANG aerial refuelling pod…
0 Comments