Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen deceased Wednesday for a trip to Guatemala and Belize, which is also booked by US stops in New York and Los Angeles.
This comes at a time when another Central American country, Honduras, has just established diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, i.e. mainland China, leaving the so-called Republic of China – the official name used for the island by the de facto government of Taiwan – in the dust. This decision leaves only 13 UN member states (out of 193) that recognize Taiwan as a country.
Rumors that Tsai could meet US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California have been harshly criticized by Beijing. Chinese Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Zhu Fenglian said:Whether [Tsai] engages with U.S. House Speaker McCarthy, it will be another provocation that seriously violates the one-China principle, undermines China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and jeopardizes peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Moreover, recent parliamentary delegations from Czechia and Germany to Taiwan have also stoked China’s anger as Nancy Pelosi’s 2022 visit to Taipei is still fresh. During former House speaker’s visit, flights to China’s Fujian province near Taiwan were disturbedTaiwanpresidential office” was targeted by a DDoS attack abroadand there was even a bomb threat sent to Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan. China too held a major military exercise that pretty much circled the entire island and passed through Taiwan-claimed territorial waters in the days immediately following Pelosi’s departure.
The official response has seen Beijing cut various lines of dialogue and cooperation with Washington, including the climate talks that were ongoing between the two major economies. China essentially viewed Pelosi’s visit not as the rogue actions of a separate and independent branch of government, the legislature, but as a statement by the federal government. Beijing felt that President Joe Biden’s government could have intervened to stop the president’s provocative trip, but chose not to.
Certainly, even if McCarthy is a Republican and Biden is a Democrat, China will still feel that Biden has the power to eliminate Tsai’s trip. He is the big boss, the President of the United States, after all. If Tsai’s encounter with McCarthy continues, Beijing will likely pick up the pace at which it “pockets” diplomatic relations with Taiwan and continue to isolate Tsai Ing-wen’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) leadership.
As we have seen with Honduras transferring diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing, and also with Nicaragua formulating a free trade agreement with Beijing, Central American countries need economic means to develop . Out of sheer necessity, countries like Guatemala, Belize and even Haiti may end up wanting to join Beijing in the near future – or wishing they had done so before receiving the Taiwanese leader. In my opinion, the international heat of Tsai’s visit to the first two countries is perhaps too dramatic while delivering relatively little in the way of results.
Beijing still has the opportunity to hit Washington where it hurts the most – the economic and trade spheres – by disrupting US supply chains, which are strongly tied to China. This option has always been on the table but was not used even when Pelosi visited Taiwan. It would hurt China too, but if Beijing feels it’s taken far enough, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility.
Most Americans couldn’t find Taiwan on a map, so it’s highly unlikely that most of them know who Tsai Ing-wen is. However, she is a deeply polarizing figure for people with a bit of political sophistication and so her visit is unlikely to meet with universal approval. Instead, it will only anger people, divide and sow discord. A cursory glance at American politics over the past few years reveals that this is not what the country needs right now. And in fact, a big demonstration was staged outside his hotel in New York for posterity.
In the end, the Taiwanese leader’s international stay will bring nothing positive to anyone. In fact, it is likely to hasten the decline of the island’s little remaining diplomatic cover. At the same time, the United States and its people could suffer from the controversy. Tsai, the agent of chaos, simply embarks on a journey of vanity while hastening the demise of his dream to “Independent Taiwan.“It also seems that national political groups in Taiwan share a similar point of view.
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.
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