Taiwan is blowing big. It seems its leadership is mindlessly out to perturb the hardly-attained equilibrium between Beijing and Washington. The ongoing week-long visit of Taiwanese Vice-President William Lai to South America has come with a political connotation, as the head of state will be making stopovers in the US. This has annoyed China, as it rightly believes that the intention is to overrule its suzerainty as Lai is an ardent supporter of ‘independence’ from the Mainland. As he is running for presidency next year, Lai has already proclaimed his manifesto by saying that Taiwan was “not part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC),” and went on to make a distinction between ancient China and the PRC.
Lai’s geopolitical proverbial is to identify Taiwan as a separate territorial integrity since Chiang Kai‐shek’s rule. Thus, his hobnobbing in New York and San Francisco, though at private levels, as he is transiting on way to Paraguay for the inauguration of president-elect Santiago Pena, is enough to build a case of animosity, and further push the security-scared South-China Sea region in crises.
House Speaker Nancy too had undertaken a similar stunt as she air-dashed to Taipei on August 2, 2022, upping the ante to dire straits. It is Beijing’s wisdom that saved the day from an aerial warfare over the tiny state, as it exhibited utmost patience. Whereas, it is widely evident that off and on, the building up of American warships and other undesired high-profile military navigation has kept the region on tenterhooks. It hints that someone, somewhere is eager to make trouble and achieve vested interests in one of the most volatile regions in terms of major powers’ rivalry.
Lai’s remarks that he is happy to be in the land of ‘Big Apple’ i.e. an icon of liberty and democracy has irritated China. It has categorically warned that it is measuring an ‘appropriate’ response, and this is where statesmanship should triumph over brinkmanship. Taiwan’s leadership will be better advised to refrain from playing to the gallery, and the US reminded of its ‘One China’ policy.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 15th, 2023.
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