While US lawmakers announced a hardline pro-Taiwan bill, Chinese experts view it as an irresponsible political provocation that would put the Biden administration under pressure. And if the bill passes, it would run contrary to its name.
Dubbed “Taiwan Peace and Stability Act,” the bill is expected to be introduced this week by Representatives Ami Bera and Steve Chabot, the Democratic and Republican leaders of the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Asia subcommittee, Reuters said.
While details of the brewing bill have yet to be released, some US media reported that it would help Taiwan island in terms of expanding economic development, and urge the Biden administration to promote the island’s “meaningful participation” in international organizations.
Ironically, after introducing the legislation, Bera said that the US should not send a signal to the Chinese mainland that the US is supporting Taiwan secessionism, and the bill does not derail the US stance of “strategic ambiguity.”
Xin Qiang, a deputy director of the Center for US Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, told the Global Times on Thursday that if US lawmakers were not playing dumb on China’s red line, the bill reflects their misperception and ignorance of the Taiwan question.
The bill would fuel the flame of separatists on the island of Taiwan, in which regional authorities will do more to rely on the US for secessionism, Xin said, noting that by assisting the island to expand international space and uphold its remaining “diplomatic relations,” the US is supporting Taiwan regional authority to create “One China, One Taiwan” or “Two China” in the international arena.
The external affairs authority of Taiwan on Thursday expressed thanks for the “pro-Taiwan move,” and said it will pay attention to the bill’s progress, Taiwan media reported.
As for congressmen who felt that the Biden administration’s support for Taiwan was less aggressive compared to that of the Trump era, there are almost no costs to supporting Taiwan, only benefits for themselves, observers said.
“It’s an irresponsible political provocation,” Xin said. “They (the congressmen) are seemingly not concerned about whether the bill will worsen China-US relations or how China will react to the US, as they are not responsible for the consequences caused by the bill.”
If the legislation is passed, the US has no capacity to decide Taiwan’s international participation through its policies, and the US’ “Taiwan card” will lead to retaliation from the Chinese mainland and a further deterioration in China-US and cross-Straits relations, analysts said.
The executive branch of the US is expected to weigh the pros and cons more carefully than the Congress, said Xin.
In the recent G7 summit in the UK, G7 leaders underscored the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits in their joint communiqué targeting the Chinese mainland.
Zhao Lijian, the spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, reiterated on Tuesday that Xinjiang, Hong Kong affairs and the Taiwan question are China’s internal affairs, which brook no interference from outside forces.
On the same day, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army dispatched a record-breaking fleet of warplanes to conduct an exercise surrounding the island of Taiwan, sending a strong signal to Taiwan secessionists and their Western supporters following recent provocations.
Vessels in the Taiwan Straits, July 20, 2017. /CGTN Photo
