The European Union is under diplomatic pressure from Taipei, while the United States is considering options for a package of sanctions against China to stop it from invading Taiwan, according to sources familiar with the discussions.
Separate lobbying by Washington and Taipei with EU envoys is at an early stage – a response to growing fears of a Chinese invasion as military tensions escalate in the Taiwan Strait, sources said.
In both cases, the idea is to impose additional sanctions on measures already taken in the West to restrict some trade and investment with China in sensitive technologies such as computer chips and telecommunications equipment.
Sources did not elaborate on what was being considered, but the idea of imposing sanctions on the world’s second-largest economy and one of the largest links in the global supply chain raises questions of feasibility.
“The possible imposition of sanctions on China is far more complex than sanctions on Russia, given the heavy involvement of the United States and its allies in the Chinese economy,” said Nazak Nikakhtar, a former senior US Commerce Department official.
China claims Taiwan as its territory, and after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei, which Beijing saw as a provocation, last month it launched missiles and placed warships on the unofficial maritime border.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged to bring democratically governed Taiwan under Beijing’s control and has not ruled out the use of force. He is expected to secure his third five-year term of leadership at a Communist Party congress next month. The Taiwanese government vehemently denies China’s claims to sovereignty.
Responding to the news about the sanctions package, a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry in Beijing warned against belittling China.
“I want to emphasize that no country or person should underestimate the strong determination and determined will of the Chinese government and people to defend national sovereignty, territorial integrity and achieve the reunification of the homeland,” spokesman Mao Ning said this Wednesday.
A US official and a country official in close coordination with Washington said officials in Washington were considering a possible package of sanctions against China to stop Xi from trying to invade Taiwan.
US negotiations on sanctions began after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, but took on new urgency after China’s response to Pelosi’s visit, according to two sources.
Backed by NATO allies, the United States threatened vague sanctions with a similar approach to Russia in January, but that failed to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from invading Ukraine.
The non-US official said the White House is focused on keeping countries on the same page, including ensuring coordination between Europe and Asia and avoiding provoking Beijing.
Reuters was unable to get details on what specific sanctions were being considered, but some analysts suggested the Chinese military could be the focus.
“The big picture is that initial talks on sanctions will likely revolve around restricting China’s access to certain technologies necessary to continue a military operation against Taiwan,” said Craig Singleton of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
The White House declined to comment.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had discussed China’s recent war games and the “big challenges” China brought to Taiwan and the region with the United States, Europe and other like-minded partners, but could not disclose details.
source: Noticias
