Does US need to be reminded that Taiwan is part of China?

By Gerald Mbanda

On October 21, 2021, the US president Joe Biden participated in a CNN town hall at the Baltimore Center Stage Pearlstone Theater, in Baltimore. When he was asked a question if the United States would commit to protect Taiwan in the event of a war, president Biden answer was yes. But the host of the program Anderson Cooper, probably by knowing that the question was sensitive and he wanted the answer to be clearer, he interjected, “are you saying that the United States would come to Taiwan’s defense if China attacked?” “Yes. We have a commitment,” Biden responded.

In 1979, when the US opened diplomatic relations with China, it committed to break off formal ties with Taiwan, whose government was led by the Kuomintang(KMT) party of nationalists, who had fled mainland China in 1949, after losing a civil war. However, the US has since then failed to honour its part of obligation over Taiwan in its relationship with China, but has instead chosen the path of arming and inciting Taiwan authorities to be at loggerheads with China and push for Taiwan self-independence from mainland China.   

The 1992 Consensus between China and Taiwan isvery clear and reflects that the two sides of the strait belong to one China, and would work together for national reunification. By meddling into the internal affairs of another sovereign country the US is promoting a dangerous foreign policy of preventing peace and unity of the Chinese people. The people of Taiwan are 100% Chinese. The US has created a non-existent scenario of a possible invasion of Taiwan by China. But the reality is that, the US created such lie to justify reasons for arming Taiwan and to keep its war ships in the South China Sea for its proxy war against China.  

For the US administration to feel that they have more concern on the affairs of the Taiwanese people is a long time held colonial mindset of dividing the same people aimed at stopping the unification of China. The question of Taiwan is a historical one among blood brothers and they are the ones who will find a lasting solution. The solution will not be imposed by a foreign country as such attempts are only aimed at serving foreign interests. Being a stumbling block towards China-Taiwan unification, the US is trying to sabotage China’s development and the peace process. 

The Chinese authorities responded by asking the US administration to abide by the one-China principle. “We urge the U.S. to earnestly abide by the one-China principle and stipulations in the three China-U.S. joint communiques, be prudent with its words and actions on the Taiwan question, and avoid sending wrong signals to the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces, lest it should seriously damage China-U.S. relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin. 

 When the US president Jimmy Carter signed into law the Taiwan Relations Act on April 10, 1979, this marked the beginning of deliberate meddling into Taiwan affairs opening a foreign policy that allows the US to exercise its long- standing “policy of strategicambiguity” on Taiwan’s defence, while opening the door for illegal sale of arms to a territory under China’s jurisdiction. Under international law, this is an act of aggression and provocation.  

Some of us who read the Holy Bible and I am sure even most American people do, Mathew 17:12 is known as the “golden Rule” which was proclaimed by Jesus during His sermon on the Mount and described by Him as the second great commandment. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” When I read this verse, what came to my mind was, how would the US administration react if China or any other country sold arms to the state of California and engaged its authorities by encouraging them to break away from the US?

The US foreign policy around the world needs to come to reality with the 21^st century, abandon hegemony as an obsolete approach and embrace rule based engagement in accordance with international law. The era of US hegemony has already fallen apart, and countries can no longer be bullied to do what the US wants. The US should let other countries live their lives by doing what is good for their people withoutcoercion and imposing the American influence.

Gerald Mbanda is a Researcher and publisher on China and Africa. 

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