Joe Biden should follow the course set by Donald Trump; there should be no U-turn based on naive hopes that goodwill can temper President Xi Jinping’s growing and increasingly impatient desire to pressure Taiwan into capitulation.
Read Here | The National Interest
The US has sent an Indo-Pacific Command intelligence officer to Taiwan on an unannounced visit that is certain to irk Beijing. Analysts said the visit of Rear Admiral Michael Studeman, director of intelligence at the command, was “unusual and unprecedented” and would further push Beijing to take a hardline approach towards the island.
Read Here | South China Morning Post
Trump’s facilitating an alliance with India and arming Taiwan as a frontier state against a rising China will be his defining legacy, a strategy that will likely continue even if Joe Biden wins the presidency.
Read Here | The National Interest
It appears to be the perfect time for Tsai to press Modi on closer ties, but she must be cautious, for however much New Delhi might be watching Beijing’s actions with concern, India still stands to lose much by courting Taiwan.
Read Here | Taipei Times
The U.S. military is already strapped for resources trying to police the Indo-Pacific, and this is peacetime. If the United States lost a sizable fraction of the U.S. Pacific Fleet and affiliated joint forces in a contest in the Taiwan Strait—even a triumphant one—its capacity to retain its superpower standing and preside over the liberal maritime order would be diminished. It could win locally but lose globally.
Read Here | The National Interest
A spiralling tech war between the United States and China has reinvigorated Beijing’s ambitions for semiconductor independence in recent months and turbocharged efforts in Washington to thwart its plans, leaving chip-making powerhouse Taiwan caught in the crossfire.
Read Here | South China Morning Post
After keeping its society and economy running throughout the coronavirus pandemic, squashing the outbreak, and donating millions of face masks to many countries, Taiwan has earned a lot of positive press internationally. But there is another vital area in which the world could also learn from Taiwan’s experience.
A tepid U.S. reaction could leave Beijing with the impression that it can proceed with relative impunity on other contentious issues in Asia. The shadow of Taiwan looms large in this context.Unless the United States demonstrates the resolve and ability to resist Chinese coercion and aggression, China’s leaders may eventually conclude that the risks and the costs of future military action against Taiwan are low—or at least tolerable.
China has taken advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been dominating headlines around the world, to reinforce its grasp on the South China Sea. While Western media is now preoccupied by the U.S. protests, Beijing will likely continue to take advantage of the fact that the eyes of the world remain focused elsewhere.
China’s decision to demolish the “one country, two systems” arrangement in Hong Kong appears to be a fait accompli, and in fact seems to have been preordained. Viewed in a broader context, the move represents a major salvo in a new cold war that is already playing out across three critical dimensions.
