Taiwan: Where the U.S. and China agree to disagree
It’s no
exaggerated claim that the United
States and The
People’s Republic
of China don’t see eye to eye on every issue. There
are clear differences
of interest on
key global issues
such as the
sovereignty over the Diaoyu/Senkaku
Island group and
the controversy on the pro-democracy protests in
Hong Kong. But
the source of
most friction between
the US and
China is Taiwan.
Tai Pei, Taiwan’s capital, claims
to be the
legitimate government of an independent
nation. But the
Chinese administration adamantly claims sovereignty
of Taiwan, proclaiming
there is only
one China. While
the US officially
recognizes the Chinese government as
the only legitimate
governing authority, the US has a strong unofficial
relationship with the government of
Taiwan. In November,
a Chinese representative
told Clemson students
visiting the Chinese
Embassy in DC,
that the US
cooperates with Taiwan by selling
arms in large
quantities to Tai
Pei. The point
was stressed as
the crucial obstacle
in the US-Chinese relationship, and one China
would like to
resolve as soon
as possible.
The US has
made efforts to
quell Chinese concerns.
The US has
decided not to
sell a new
F-35 Lightning
II Joint Strike
Fighter to Taiwan
and has delayed
the sale of
F-16 C/D planes for over eight years
despite Tai Pei’s pleas and claims of a crippling, aging air
defense force. But Chinas’ President
Xi Jinping has
personally asked for the US to cease all arms sales.
The Taiwan question
is an awkward
impasse for two
trade allies, but
it’s one
in which the
US is stuck
firmly in the
middle. For years
after the Chinese
Communist Revolution, the US officially
recognized Taiwan as the government
of China. When
the US switched
its official recognition
from Tai Pei
to Beijing, it
made six assurances
to the Taiwanese.
These assurances included the sale
of arms to
Taiwan without consultation from Beijing,
and the agreement
to not officially
recognize Beijing’s claim on Taiwan. This is
a major cause
of concern to
the Chinese, who
view Taiwan as
a part of
China. From the
Chinese government’s perspective, the
US is aiding
in the armament
of a separatist
group which may
one day become
violent.
However, in spite
of the US’s continued sale
of arms to
Taiwan, it has
pledged to stay
out of the
dispute between Taiwan and China.
It will not
intervene in nor
mediate any political
talks between either
respective governments. The US has made it clear
that the question
of sovereignty of Taiwan shall
be left alone
for the peoples
of mainland China
and Taiwan to
settle. The US
will neither promote
nor discourage negotiations between the two governing
bodies, but the
US will support
decisions made by the two consenting bodies.
The question of
Taiwanese sovereignty is daunting. One
only needs to
look at the
fireworks between Russia and Ukraine
to understand the
potential consequences of jurisdictive disputes.
While there is
a clear dispute
over the sovereignty
of Taiwan, and
it seems that
Washington and Beijing have picked
separate camps, the question of
Taiwan is awkward
but dormant. The
US-Chinese trade
relationship has grown so strong,
that even Chinese
officials admitted to Clemson students
that the areas
where the US
and China can
profit from mutual
cooperation far exceed the detriments
of any disagreement
over Taiwan. Whether
or not Taiwan
is officially recognized
as either an
independent nation, an autonomous region,
or simply another
Chinese province remains to be
seen, but for
now, it will
be left to
the peoples of
China and Taiwan
to sort out.