China holds military drills around Taiwan as U.S. lawmakers visit
- April 18th, 2022
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US lawmakers recently, paid a visit to Taiwan to promote relations between the two countries. As a result, China performed military drills around Taiwan in the East China Sea. China consistently sends planes into Taiwan’s air defense zone and holds military drills around the island. Taiwan has been preparing for a Chinese invasion since around 1949. To quote the article I am blogging about: China’s defense ministry said the U.S. visit was “deliberately provocative” and had “led to further escalation of tension in the Taiwan Strait. China talks big about taking back Taiwan and given the prime opportunity they have with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it is likely that they may move sometime in the near future.
I think the US is playing with fire by visiting Taiwan. The One China Policy has worked fine since 1979, no need to change up things now. Inflation is already rampant and I couldn’t imagine the manufacturing goods from China halting overnight. The US needs to play it safe here with the current volatility in Ukraine. China has a prime time slot to take Taiwan if NATO gets involved in Eastern Europe.
Nathan
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/china-holds-military-drills-taiwan-us-lawmakers-visit-rcna24526
While I would prefer to either recognize Taiwan as an independent nation or the true government of China, we do have to tread lightly around the CCP. Our economy is still considerably tied to China, along with about $1 trillion in debt owed to them. We’re not in a position to lend aid to Ukraine while also helping defend Taiwan from an invasion, the usage of stinger missiles alone in Ukraine outstrips our current production capabilities. An adoption of the retrenchment policy advocated by Shifrinson would help us simultaneously hold off China while still being able to help Ukraine.
I agree that the US should be very cautious when it comes to potentially provoking China. As you mentioned, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could embolden China to invade Taiwan while the world’s eyes are averted. Considering China’s internal problems, such as the Shanghai lockdowns, I do not think they will actually be able to pull off an invasion any time soon. The Chinese government is pouring money into counteracting covid, but continue to face outbreaks. I do think, however, that China performed those military demonstrations to send a message to the US and Taiwan. They are are trying to prove that they are not weaker because of covid, and that they will not passively accept the US interfering with their reunification strategy. Until they handle covid, however, I do not think they will be able to make any meaningful steps to invade Taiwan.