The President of the United States Donald Trump is facing pressure from Taipei’s Republican ally to go on a leap for Taiwan, a move that infuriates Beijing. China has threatened to invade their island neighbor. Only a year after newly-elected President Trump infuriated China by receiving a congratulatory phone call from the President of Taiwan, the pro-US state is seeking Trump’s protection against bullying form Beijing. Despite America’s delicate relationship with China, the Republicans in Congress are pressuring Trump with pro-Taiwan views that could strain or shatter their relationship with China.
China has already warned the US to distance itself from the matter. A senior diplomat who was visiting Washington in December of last year gave a warning that his country would be invading Taiwan if US Navy ships dock in the Taiwanese ports. This condition was proposed in the annual defense spending bill that Trump had signed in December.
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chang Hsiao-Yueh told POLITICO in an interview that they urge Trump to stand firm, saying that Beijing has kicked off a military and political intimidation campaign during his first year in office as president. He said that Mainland China intends to exercise more political pressure on Taiwan. He urged that the Trump administration step up its support for Taipei.
President Trump is left at a crossroads on foreign policy. He is torn between standing up to China’s regional aggression and risking losing Chinese President Xi Jinping’s on North Korea and trade issues. Despite Trump’s Taiwan policy remaining unclear, the Congress took its own initiative on related matters. In January, the House passed legislation that encourages more diplomatic contact and relation between Trump officials and their Taiwanese counterparts. This initiative also angered Beijing, which deems Taiwan a “renegade province” of China and should not have any direct affairs with the United States of America.
This past week, a spokesman for China’s Taiwan affairs said that the bill ruthlessly goes against the policy between USA, China, and Taiwan, that has prohibited direct contact between Washington and Taiwan officials. Taiwan for years has been a thorn in relations between US and China. Beijing does not recognize Taiwan as a sovereign state. The US, however, recognizes its sovereignty and sells advanced weaponry to it. Through a complicated diplomatic understanding called “one-China”, the US recognizes the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government of China, something he contradicted in his December call with Taiwan President. This angered China, hence its threat to invade Taiwan.
