There have been many criticisms in recent times that the weapons that the US sent to Ukraine should be given to Taiwan. Critics of the trend say China is more of a concern than Russia. Beijing’s threat to take over Taiwan by force must be countered.
Their criticism is half true. Yes, the United States must prevent China’s attempts to take over Taiwan militarily. But if they abandon Ukraine, that effort will be cut short.
Taiwan now needs more than weapons to demonstrate American goodwill toward them. China needs to show that the US stands for a democratic power whose fall would harm NATO and its East Asian allies and US interests.
Taiwan will receive weapons from the US in the future, which it has already received. Taiwan is now not invaded by anyone like Ukraine. US intelligence says that China is preparing to attack Taiwan in 2027. This does not mean that China will actually attack in 2027.
The United States established diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China four decades ago. At the time, China told the United States that it would only reunify with Taiwan through peaceful means, not by force.
In the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, the United States pledged to provide arms to Taiwan for defense purposes. It said, “If anyone wants to determine the fate of Taiwan by any other than peaceful means, it will a matter of deep concern to the United States.”
Washington’s stance, however, does not guarantee that the US will intervene if Taiwan is attacked. The U.S. wants, by implication, China to assume the same. There is ‘strategic ambiguity’ in US Taiwan policy. The core of what they want to say to China is, ‘We may or may not come to the defense of Taiwan. Think for yourselves whether you will take that opportunity or not.
This strategy worked until Xi Jinping came to power in China in 2012. China’s previous leaders believed that a peaceful reunification with Taiwan was inevitable. They can wait for this.
China has become impatient under the leadership of Xi Jinping. Military aggression in Taiwan is now a matter for Chinese leaders to decide. For this reason, many US foreign policy makers say that the US should get out of strategic ambiguity on the Taiwan issue.
President Biden has repeatedly broken the strategic ambiguity in his speeches. But every time the statement from the White House said, there has been no change in the US’s Taiwan policy.
By helping Ukraine, the US wants to send a message to China that it will do whatever it needs to do. The will to fight and to keep fighting are the keys to military success. In a democratic system, public opinion can easily be swayed against war.
If nothing else, the reason North Vietnam won the Vietnam War was that they would persist in achieving their goals no matter what sacrifices they had to make. But the United States was not.
During World War II, Japan’s military strategy was largely defeated by the patience of the United States. The Japanese thought they would oust the Americans from every inch of the Pacific islands that the United States had conquered. They are ready for whatever the price is. The terra cotta policy of the Japanese was about to succeed. American generals and admirals began withdrawing from the islands to minimize casualties. Through this, public opinion was also held.
Today, the Russians are waiting for the American willingness to support the war in Ukraine to decrease. Americans must understand that this is not just a territorial dispute. Here one nation is saying that another nation has no right to exist. Vladimir Putin’s goal is to build an empire. If he succeeds in Ukraine, he will not stop there.
The Chinese want to see the outcome of the Ukraine war. Our Asian allies are also looking at it. If the West abandons Ukraine, many of our Asian allies may join the Chinese camp. Others may seek to protect themselves by developing nuclear weapons.
One thing to understand is that everyone should do everything possible to avoid war. Taiwanese citizens must make all preparations to resist an attack. At the same time, one must refrain from provocative activities like formally declaring independence. Taiwanese people often say, “Taiwan will practice independence, but it should never be preached.”
The United States has two tasks to do. Diplomatically, agree with China that China is one. At the same time discouraging Taiwanese from declaring independence and emphasizing peaceful reunification. Equipping Taiwan militarily with its own weapons.
The United States has two tasks to do. Diplomatically, agree with China that China is one. At the same time discouraging Taiwanese from declaring independence and emphasizing peaceful reunification. Equipping Taiwan militarily with its own weapons.