Xi is an adamant Chinese nationalist who wants a legacy; the notion that he is heavily affected by rhetoric is laughable.
Themetalin on
Before deeming China a foreign hostile force, (President) Lai gave several speeches that went significantly further than his predecessors in positioning Taiwan as a sovereign state that is separate from China. Lai’s actions may boost his domestic support, but they increase the risk of a war that nobody should want.
U.S. President Trump has yet to focus on Taiwan, and his administration has encouraged Lai’s defense buildup. Lai could thus be forgiven for thinking that America has his back as he steers Taiwan toward greater independence. But this conclusion would be premature. Taipei should not overestimate what the United States, under any president, would do in its defense.
Polls show that scarcely more than one-third of Americans would favor going to war for Taiwan. Taiwan must make decisions with clear eyes and not assume the United States will fight World War III on its behalf.
Trump can simply say the United States wants China and Taiwan to resume the cross-strait dialogue that existed prior to 2016. Getting there would likely require Taipei to return to its long-standing position that there still exists “one China” of some kind. To get Lai to move in this direction might require Trump to make clear to him that Washington opposes any moves by Taiwan to inch closer and closer to independence.
When Trump meets with Xi, the leaders could also discuss a public exchange of assurances over Taiwan. Such assurances would serve to restrain Lai, and even if Beijing did not live up to its commitments, countries in the region, which are crucial to Taiwan’s defense, would see that China bears sole responsibility for any further escalation.
Many in Washington will decry the idea of pressuring a U.S. partner and bargaining with a U.S. adversary. But the situation demands action. Trump should make clear that Lai must stop pushing the envelope on Taiwan’s independence in order to retain strong backing from the United States. The alternative is to watch the status quo continue to deteriorate, potentially to the point of no return.
colepercy120 on
At this point nothing tiawan or American says matters. Xi has put his figures in his ears and is going to do what he’s going to do. There’s no one else in the system that can affect his decision making.
But trump has actually done some stuff with Taiwan. He specifically removed „we do not support Taiwanese independence“ from the American foreign policy explainers. And we have a guarantee of independence on the island legally. If China wants to take its navy out of reach of their covering missiles America would be happy to give them a lesson in real naval power
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Xi is an adamant Chinese nationalist who wants a legacy; the notion that he is heavily affected by rhetoric is laughable.
Before deeming China a foreign hostile force, (President) Lai gave several speeches that went significantly further than his predecessors in positioning Taiwan as a sovereign state that is separate from China. Lai’s actions may boost his domestic support, but they increase the risk of a war that nobody should want.
U.S. President Trump has yet to focus on Taiwan, and his administration has encouraged Lai’s defense buildup. Lai could thus be forgiven for thinking that America has his back as he steers Taiwan toward greater independence. But this conclusion would be premature. Taipei should not overestimate what the United States, under any president, would do in its defense.
Polls show that scarcely more than one-third of Americans would favor going to war for Taiwan. Taiwan must make decisions with clear eyes and not assume the United States will fight World War III on its behalf.
Trump can simply say the United States wants China and Taiwan to resume the cross-strait dialogue that existed prior to 2016. Getting there would likely require Taipei to return to its long-standing position that there still exists “one China” of some kind. To get Lai to move in this direction might require Trump to make clear to him that Washington opposes any moves by Taiwan to inch closer and closer to independence.
When Trump meets with Xi, the leaders could also discuss a public exchange of assurances over Taiwan. Such assurances would serve to restrain Lai, and even if Beijing did not live up to its commitments, countries in the region, which are crucial to Taiwan’s defense, would see that China bears sole responsibility for any further escalation.
Many in Washington will decry the idea of pressuring a U.S. partner and bargaining with a U.S. adversary. But the situation demands action. Trump should make clear that Lai must stop pushing the envelope on Taiwan’s independence in order to retain strong backing from the United States. The alternative is to watch the status quo continue to deteriorate, potentially to the point of no return.
At this point nothing tiawan or American says matters. Xi has put his figures in his ears and is going to do what he’s going to do. There’s no one else in the system that can affect his decision making.
But trump has actually done some stuff with Taiwan. He specifically removed „we do not support Taiwanese independence“ from the American foreign policy explainers. And we have a guarantee of independence on the island legally. If China wants to take its navy out of reach of their covering missiles America would be happy to give them a lesson in real naval power