Table of Contents
China Warns U.S. Of ‘Heavy Price’ For Taiwan’s Independence – Free PDF Download
What has happened?
- China on Tuesday warned the U.S. that it will pay a “heavy price” for its attempts to show support to Taiwan’s independence,
- As a delegation of ex-American defence officials dispatched by President Joe Biden landed in Taipei amid apprehensions that,
- Beijing may attempt action against the self-ruled island akin to Russia’s military assault in Ukraine.
- Taiwanese media reports said a five-member delegation headed by former U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral (retd) Mike Mullen was received by Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, Raising concerns in Beijing over the U.S. efforts to step up its engagement with Taiwan, which China firmly affirms as part of the Chinese mainland.
significance
- China in recent months ratcheted up military preparations sending hundreds of its air force jets into Taiwan’s Air Defence Zone besides beefing up its naval force keeping the self-governing breakaway island on tenterhooks.
- Officials in Taiwan and the U.S. say that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has drawn fresh attention to China’s threat to forcibly annex the self-governing island.
- Besides Mr. Mullen’s visit, former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was due to arrive in Taiwan on Wednesday.
- Both Mr. Mullen and Mr. Pompeo, known for their anti-China rhetoric during their stint under former US president Donald Trump, Are due to meet Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, who Beijing blames as the ring-leader of advocating Taiwan’s independence.
Criticism from china
- Much on the expected lines, the Chinese Foreign Ministry had some sharp words to criticise the visit of U.S. officials.
- “The Chinese people are firmly determined to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a media briefing here when asked about the American officials visit.
- “The attempt by the US to show support to Taiwan will be in vain no matter who it sent. China urges the US to abide by the one-China principle,” he said.
- “I wonder what is the U.S. intention behind this high part of this passage of USS Johnson.
- If it intends to embolden Taiwan’s independent separatist forces, then it will only accelerate the fall of Taiwan independence forces and the U.S. will pay a heavy price for its adventurous acts,” Mr. Wang said.
- “If the U.S. intends to intimidate China by this, then, in front of the 1.4 billion Chinese people united in their steely determination, the so-called military deterrence will be nothing but scrap metal,” he said.
Will china attack Taiwan?
- Ukraine’s predicament has sparked fears that China may use the West’s preoccupation with the crisis unfolding in Europe to take military action against Taiwan.
- Scarcely a few days ago, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu sent alarm bells ringing when he called for American support to deter a Chinese invasion.
- For several reasons, that seems like an unlikely proposition in the near term.
Domestic politics
- To begin with, China is in the midst of a sea change in its domestic politics.
- President Xi Jinping has defied the traditional two-term limit on Chinese leaders and now seeks to secure an unprecedented third term in office.
- With this in mind, Xi hopes to cement his iron grip over the reins of power at the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 20th Congress slated for late 2022.
- Even as he ratchets up the pressure on Taiwan, President Xi can ill-afford a risky military venture in the run-up to his Red Coronation.
- Even if Xi were to secure another term, his comprehensive domestic political agenda will take priority over his desire to bring Taiwan back into the fold.
Common prosperity
- China’s paramount leader has cracked down on tech companies, reigned in the worst excesses of his country’s real estate boom and has launched a campaign of “Common Prosperity”.
- His goal is as simple to state as it is complex to achieve: a decisive shift away from China’s manic focus on growth rates and towards a focus on equity and quality of life issues.
- Re-engineering China’s domestic political culture will prove a mammoth task with no small degree of political opposition.
- As Xi strives to build China 3.0, a military operation in Taiwan might risk precious political capital and jeopardise his grand plans.
- Xi understands that his country’s future in the world order depends far more on tackling the nation’s massive debt crisis, rampant inequality and worsening demographic dividend than on the conquest of Taiwan.
Q) Which nation has the longest land border in the world?
- Brazil
- USA
- Russia
- China
Latest Burning Issues | Free PDF
WhatsApp