As Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (#3 in the national protocol) approach on the 5th (local time), the level of tension between the US and China is rising again.
In the midst of this, experts are pointing out that if the confrontation over Taiwan-related issues continues, US-China cooperation to resolve issues such as North Korea’s nuclear and missile development, provocations and threats will have no choice but to ‘step back’.
President Tsai is planning to stop by Los Angeles (LA) on the 4th on her way home from a tour of Central America, including Guatemala and Belize. A ‘closed’ meeting with Chairman McCarthy is scheduled for the 5th.
As soon as the plan became known, the Chinese authorities undermined the principle of “one China” (一個中國, meaning that “the mainland of China and Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan are indivisible and that the legitimate government is also one China (People’s Republic of China))”. In the judgment that it is an action to be taken, “I firmly oppose” (Maoning, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) put forward a position.
Spokesperson Mao also mentioned in a regular briefing on the 4th, “China will closely monitor related trends and will resolutely and forcefully defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
China’s state-run Global Times also exposed its displeasure, such as publishing an article saying, “President Tsai’s US activities will make contact between US President Joe Biden and China more difficult.”
When then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August of last year, Chinese authorities staged an armed demonstration by launching a large number of fighter jets and other military aircraft into the airspace around Taiwan.
For this reason, some are raising the possibility that the Chinese side will take some kind of ‘action’ in relation to this meeting between President Tsai and Chairman McCarthy. Park Won-gon, a professor at Ewha Womans University, also said, “The Taiwan issue is a matter of life and death for China.”
In addition, experts point out that the possibility of cooperation between the two countries in resolving the North Korean nuclear issue will inevitably be further reduced if the conflict related to Taiwan amplifies at a time when the competition for supremacy between the US and China has already intensified.
The US State Department recently reaffirmed the principle that “China must cooperate to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue” while revising its ‘United National Strategy’ for China.
In particular, the U.S. State Department stated in its revised strategy that “through the Embassy in China, we will press China to take an active role in achieving complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and eliminating North Korea’s illegal weapons development.” Experts say that China is using it to keep the US in check while acquiescing to North Korea’s nuclear and missile development and provocations.
In fact, China, the most important ally of North Korea, along with Russia, has used its position as a permanent member of the UN Security Council to put the brakes on joint responses at the Security Council level despite North Korea’s successive intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches and various provocations since last year. .
Regarding this, Professor Park said, “One of the biggest reasons why the US and China cannot cooperate to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue is the Taiwan issue. . However, the US administration of Joe Biden will not respond to such a ‘give and take’ approach.”
Experts believe that as the conflict between the US and China continues, North Korea will also focus on advancing its nuclear and missile technologies and threatening and provoking them. In particular, North Korea announced that it would complete preparations for the military reconnaissance satellite “Unit 1” by April of this year, so there are also observations that it may attempt to launch a “disguised” ICBM at a normal angle (30 to 45 degrees) during this month. raised
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.