Taiwan’s foreign minister recently gave an interview to CNN that should open a lot of eyes. He was asked to provide an honest assessment of the threat that is currently being presented by mainland China. In his estimation, China is looking to reunite Taiwan with the mainland. While they may be willing to accomplish the process in a peaceful manner, they may be able to use force as well.
This is always a concern when it comes to the Chinese. The manner in which they carry themselves makes it seems as if we are always on the cusp of violence erupting. Taiwan has no interest in becoming a part of their dictatorship and the spread of communism is not something that they are looking to fuel in any way, shape or form. Unfortunately, this means that Taiwan needs to be prepared for major conflicts. CNN has more:
“China’s escalating military intimidation of Taiwan shows the self-governed island “needs to prepare” for a possible military conflict, Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said in an exclusive interview with CNN…
“As Taiwan decision-makers, we cannot take any chances, we have to be prepared,” Wu told CNN in Taipei on Wednesday. “When the Chinese government is saying they would not renounce the use of force, and they conduct military exercises around Taiwan, we would rather believe that it is real.”
Wu, who has served as minister of foreign affairs since 2018, was accused by Beijing in May of being a “diehard separatist” after remarks he made during a news conference that Taiwan would fight “to the very last day” if attacked by China.”
Taiwan finds themselves very worried and rightfully so. No one should be subjected to these types of provocations. Even our own military has expressed concern. The US believes that the attacks could begin within the next six years. Now that Taiwan’s foreign minister is expressing these types of warnings, lots of people are sitting up and taking notice. Per UPI:
“Chinese defense ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang said Thursday at a regular press briefing that Taiwan’s unification with the mainland is a “historical inevitability.” Attempts to declare Taiwanese independence would be a dead-end road, and seeking independence means “war,” the spokesman said.”
China is no stranger to issuing these kinds of statements. In January, a separate spokesman warned that a Taiwan independence push would lead to these types of conflicts. The most recent outburst is a surprising one, as most do not seem to know what has caused it. Some believe that Senator Tammy Duckworth may be somewhat responsible here.
Her recent visit made the news because she made some very strong statements about Taiwan and America’s willingness to help out. “America will not abandon Taiwan,” she said. This is not a statement that needs any sort of parsing. She’s laid things bare. Two other Senators were along for the trip, which served as a provocation to the Chinese. They do not like these types of statements being made.
When US officials meet with the Taiwanese officials, the Chinese take this personally. They do not want the Taiwanese to develop their own policies when it comes to these matters because they seek a level of control that they do not wish to offer.
This is because the Chinese do not know how to associate with any other countries unless they are entering a partnership that is based on the subservience of other territories. This is the charitable, good faith view. The cynic’s view is that the Chinese are behaving like spoiled babies who are not getting their way.
They want to force Taiwan under their control because it is good for their reputation. It does not go much deeper than that. At this point, it feels like a stalemate is taking place but we know that China does not do stalemates. They are already in the process of looking for a reason to escalate these matters. I know, you know it, we all know it.
