The Taiwanese Dilemma
The Asian evening on August 2 was wildly followed across the world with everyone across Asia keen for a minute-by-minute update on the news. This was owing to Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives visiting Taiwan as part of leading a US delegation. This not only raised eyebrows in the US but created a furor in China. So, what’s the big deal about a US house representative visiting Taiwan?
The answer is the “One China Policy”
One China Policy dictates that there is only one sovereign state of China and Taiwan is part of it. Though Taiwan has a separate government and the president, but it is not identified as a separate nation and comes under the purview of China. This One China Policy, in turn ahs influenced relations of China with all countries across the world. It prevents any nation to indulge in official business with Taiwan. Any such attempt to thwart this concept can have sever implications on the relationship with China.
While US President Joe Biden distanced himself from Nany Pelosi’s visit by calling it a bad idea, it is evident that there is some other story cooking across the globe with respect to China’s positioning. Such visits have happened previously as well when the speaker under Bill Clinton’s administration visited Taiwan under his own capacity. However, Nancy Pelosi’s visit is no such coincidence. She is from the same party as Joe Biden i.e., Democrats and was on an official visit to Taiwan as part of her Asia wide visit. China has reacted furiously by having fighter jets at median of Taiwan airspace and also influencing South Korea to not let them meet Nancy Pelosi when she visited Seoul later from Taiwan. All things aside, there are some reasonings related to this visit which could point to a new and changing world order under the influence of the Taiwanese Dilemma.
1. Russia-Ukraine War: The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war has shown that no country can be invaded easily irrespective of the firepower the bigger country may have. While China will not invade Taiwan anytime soon, but it would continue to dictate over its democratic rights by means of its major policy making. This visit is an indication that US is not going to support China at all times and will take the high road as well when democratic rights come into question even if they have to come at the cost of trade relations.
2. Supporting Small is being big: Magnanimity is the key for success for a person. How a person treats their subordinates or smaller people speaks volume of the position they hold in the society. This is something which has evolved over the past 5 years, and it stands true among nations as well. By visiting Taiwan, Nancy Pelosi has indirectly indicated a coherent change in strategy of the US to be a nation ready to help its smaller brothers and sisters. This goes a long way in establishing supremacy and support for a superpower as opposed to the authoritarian mechanics China uses.
3. Fight for being the best: There is no outrightly visible race between countries to be the number 1 superpower, but USA, China and Russia are in a constant tussle to establish their superiority as biggest superpower not dictated by any other forum. Russia has initiated its actions by instigating a war against Ukraine and attempting to invade it. China, on the other hand, has always established its dominance by its aggressive actions on South China sea, control over Taiwan and Hong Kong and dictating trade relations. On another spectrum, USA has applied an altogether different fundamental to establish their position as the #1 super power. After failed operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, it has gone the softer route by not engaging in field battles with China and Russia. Instead, it has decided to take strategic approaches by impacting trade routes and getting in business with Brazil, India and South Africa. Similarly, it has gone all out to support Ukraine, Georgia and other small countries that are under the pretext of an attack by Russia. This latest visit (though mentioned as a bad idea by President Joe Biden) is an indication of the position US wants to take to be the #1 superpower.
China’s agitation and condemnation of every action performed by Nancy Pelosi indicates the dilemma Taiwan has created in US-China relations and their race to be number 1. The best way forward is to simply acknowledge the visit and disbar any threats coming across on trade relations. It is worth noting that trade makes China a superpower. Anything impacting their trade relations will only be a downhill indication for China.
