Taiwan conflict threatens to add to global hunger

The global economy is facing shockwaves from the Russia-Ukraine conflict that practically started in the year 2014 and resulted in a war in the year 2022. Unreliable supplies of biofuels and wheat have already placed world food security in a turbulent phase, resulting in ever-increasing price tags in Europe and poverty in Africa and Asia.

In this scenario, the world is drifting towards another conflict and that is in the Indo-Pacific, the most critical region for food security. According to the French Institute of International Relations, 80 per cent of global trade by volume and 70 per cent by value is transported by sea. Out of that volume, 60 per cent of maritime trade passes through the Indo-Pacific. Just imagine what would be the level of global hunger if Indo-Pacific is going to be volatile within the next five years.

Self-ruled Taiwan will go to the presidential elections in January 2024 and Vice President William Lai will be the presidential candidate of the ruling party as sitting President Tsai Ing-wen is finishing her second and final term. Regional experts are already focusing on this hotspot of the Indo-Pacific because of Washington’s constant engagements with Taiwanese leadership and the strongly stated Chinese position of ‘non-tolerance’ over the Taiwan issue. Even though the US diplomatically accepts One-China Policy, political activities and President Biden’s firm position to ‘protect’ Taiwan in case of hypothetical Chinese aggression are making things complex and critical.

Taiwanese Vice President Lai Ching-te recently visited the US while in transit to and from Paraguay. In April 2023, President Tsai Ing-wen had transit in California while coming back from Central America. In August 2022, the then Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei.

Several Western think tanks have reported China’s strong reactions over such visits that reflect the troubled context of growing tension in the Indo-Pacific. Western media is claiming that China’s President Xi Jinping is believed to have directed his military to “be ready by 2027 to conduct a successful invasion of Taiwan" while citing “senior US military officials” as sources. Media reports claim that China will launch an attack on Taiwan within five years or possibly sooner. Have we forgotten media reports reaffirming US claims that Iraq had Weapons of Mass Destruction? If we look at things through the Western media strategy which is showing a design of triggering a military conflict and by keeping that context in mind, we all must be worried about what is brewing in Indo-Pacific. Possibly a war-like situation if not a full-fledged war.

It is expected that the Taiwanese 2024 Presidential elections would bring Vice President William Lai into power who in his recent interview with Bloomberg published on August 15, 2023, stated: “Taiwan must strengthen its military capacity and stand shoulder to shoulder with democracies (referring to the Western democracies) to effectively deter the threats from China and secure stability in the Indo-Pacific region”. His categorical statement that “our duty is to show our determination to defend our country” should be reviewed in reference to the recent US Congressional legislation enabling increased US arms sales, and support for Taiwan. His strong-worded interview also expresses the confidence that President Biden’s statement has injected in Taiwan, assuring that the US would defend Taiwan from an unprovoked attack by China. In the past, statements like “standing with democracies”, “ensuring regional security” and “determination to defend our country” had been echoed in the European media under the pretext of the Ukraine conflict.

We can save humanity from future conflicts if we would pay attention to the lessons learned from the history. Even in the 21st century, hegemony gets priority over peace and stability. The brilliant idea of proxy wars has also failed beyond a reasonable doubt so if the West thinks that humanity can take another blow of war, they are committing the same wrongdoing which they have been committing for the past three to four decades. The brunt of the cold war has clouded the Western sensation and they are not accepting the new world which demands peace, border security and territorial integrity. Encroaching buffer zones like Ukraine and crossing red lines like Taiwan would surely result in conflicts and conflicts are bringing nothing but hunger and inequalities.

In my opinion, the intricate web of geopolitical tensions, fragile food security and the strategic importance of the Indo-Pacific demand careful consideration. Keeping the fluid nature of rapidly evolving geopolitics, the ambition must be to build bridges, not barriers, and we must seek solutions that prioritise the well-being of nations and the security of their citizens. It is only through cooperative efforts, genuine dialogue and a shared commitment to safeguarding the future that we can hope to avert the shadows of conflict and pave the way for a safer, more resilient world.