In these pages we have been noting and commenting on the current military build-up occurring throughout Asia that is undoubtedly motivated – wholly or in part – by China’s massive arms splurge of the last decade. But there has also been political and diplomatic pushback, especially from the United States.
A perennial raw nerve for Beijing has been the status of Taiwan, which it regards as a renegade province – a view shared by few other countries. The history of Taiwan is complex, but for more than a century it has chartered a course of semi-independence. This cultural, economic and political gap has only widened after the Chinese Communist Party achieved full control of the mainland in 1949.
However, Taiwan cannot risk an outright declaration of independence because of the justifiable fear that this would provoke an invasion – but at the same time the situation is even more complex because Taiwan’s constitution maintains that it is the legal ruler of all China. The two countries interact in a strange and opaque manner with economic links strengthening and then weakening and the rhetoric coming from Beijing likewise fluctuating, depending on a variety of internal and external factors. The strength of the independence movement in Taiwan always seems to be in a state of flux.
If any nation really wants to raise the collective blood pressure of the PRC Politburo all that they need to do is publicly come out in support of Taiwan on any issue. This is exactly what visiting U.S. Health & Human Services Secretary Alex Azar did in a speech on August 11 in Taipei. Some highlights were in his introductory remarks:
“It is also an honor to be here at National Taiwan University, an institution that stands for so much of what has made Taiwan great, including your industrial and scientific prowess and your spirit of open inquiry that have helped make you free and prosperous.
“Taiwan is a democratic success story, a reliable partner, and a force for good in the world.
“Taiwan’s vibrant democracy and thriving free-market economy have made it a shining star in the Indo-Pacific and a treasured friend of the United States.
“We could not be prouder that Taiwan is now one of the United States’ ten largest trading partners, and our largest trading partner on a per capita basis out of that group after Canada and Mexico.”
The most senior U.S. figure to visit Taiwan in decades, he met with a raft of politicians including President Tsai Ing-wen. But more than this it was his observations about COVID-19 – and exceptionally touchy topic in Beijing at the moment – that would have enraged China’s leaders:
“The Taiwan model of excellence in combating the virus has been obvious to us all. Taiwan’s approach to combating the virus through openness, transparency, and cooperation stands in stark contrast to the country where the virus began.
“The Chinese Communist Party had the chance to warn the world and work with the world on battling the virus. But they chose not to, and the costs of that choice mount higher every day.
“As the virus emerged, the People’s Republic of China did not live up to the binding obligations it had under the International Health Regulations, betraying the cooperative spirit we need for global health.
“This came as little surprise to Taiwan, which experienced the consequences of Beijing’s cover-up of SARS in 2003, costing dozens of lives in Taiwan and dealing serious disruption to the whole region’s economy.
“I believe it is no exaggeration to say that, if this virus had emerged in a place like Taiwan or the United States, it might have been snuffed out easily: rapidly reported to public health authorities, who would have shared what they knew with health professionals and with the general public.”
You can read his full speech Here:
There was a lot more along the same lines, with Taiwan being showered with praise for it’s response to the pandemic.
Of course, very few countries are powerful enough to deliver this sort of rebuke to Beijing and get away with it. Because of the importance of trade and fearful of China’s growing military might, many countries in the region prefer to remain mute or deliver only the mildest and most oblique forms of criticism to the PRC. In this context it is noteworthy that even Australia – which is very sensitive to relations with China because of the value of two-way trade – has started to speak out more publicly. That country’s recently released 2020 Defence Strategic Update actually names tensions caused by China’s expansion as being a major destabilising factor – a public assessment that would have been unthinkable even a few years ago.
Sticks and stones may break bones and words will never hurt – but Beijing is on the receiving end of such a degree of push back that eventually policymakers might start to wonder if there is a more productive way to behave than by issuing threats and making unilateral demands. In a final stinging rebuke, Dr Azar concluded:
“In these trying times, the United States knows that we will always have a friend in Taiwan, and we will not shy away from telling the rest of the world that they can rely on Taiwan too.”
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