Watch how the defense of tiny islands test the U.S. resolve this summer.
The American Conservative
Date: June 8, 2020
By: Ted Galen Carpenter
Chinese president Xi Jinping (Kaliva/Shutterstock) and Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen Glen Photo/Shutterstock
Beijing’s duplicity and attempted blame-shifting regarding the coronavirus pandemic is one example, but the decision to impose a new national security law on Hong Kong is even more troubling. That measure greatly dilutes, if not eliminates, Hong Kong’s promised autonomous status. On the heels of that move, the PRC government appears to be turning its malevolent attention to Taiwan.
In a speech on May 21, Premier Li Keqiang noticeably left out the word “peaceful” in referring to Beijing’s intention to “reunify” with Taiwan. That omission signaled an ominous policy shift, even as Beijing’s ties with Taipei already were on a downward spiral. Relations between Taiwan and the mainland have become increasingly tense ever since the landslide victory of Tsai Ing-wen and her pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party in the island’s 2016 elections. Tsai’s even wider re-election victory in January 2020 increased Beijing’s frustration and anger. Among other provocations, Taiwan complains about growing PRC military harassment since the coronavirus pandemic began, with fighter jets and naval vessels regularly approaching the island on drills.
Confirmation that Beijing is no longer committed to “peaceful” reunification came just days after Li’s speech. Speaking on the 15th anniversary of China’s Anti-Secession Law (a 2005 measure directed at Taiwan), Gen. Li Zuocheng, chief of the Joint Staff Department and member of the Central Military Commission stated bluntly that China will attack Taiwan if that move becomes necessary to stop it from seeking official independence. Such a statement from one of the PRC’s most senior military leaders indicates that Beijing’s patience on the Taiwan issue is wearing very thin. [FULL STORY]
