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The Biden administration, through its Secretary of State Antony Blinken, issued perfunctory warnings to China about its plans to invade Taiwan, while legislation was set in motion in the U.S. Congress, with bipartisan support, to strengthen American ties with the island.
Following the transit of a Seventh Fleet ship through the Taiwan Strait, the Chinese military sent aircraft into Taiwanese territory, raising Blinken’s concern about the tension fomented by the “aggressive actions” and asserting that the U.S. remains committed to ensuring Taipei’s self-defense.
“It would be a serious mistake for anyone to try to change the existing status quo by force,” Blinken said in an interview.
Congress, for its part, responded with a bill allowing the United States to use “the same nomenclature and protocol” in dealing with Taiwan as with any foreign government, albeit without recognition of Taipei.
A similar regulation came during the final days of the Donald Trump administration, when the State Department, headed by Mike Pompeo, removed restrictions on diplomatic connections with Taiwanese counterparts.
U.S. still fails to send a strong message to China
The State Department’s new guidelines for contacts with Taiwan will allow officials from both countries to arrange meetings even in federal buildings.
However, Blinken’s actions leave questions after he downplayed religious freedom in a speech on March 30, 2021, where he called the hierarchy established by Mike Pompeo’s State Department advisory committee “unbalanced.”
A hierarchy had been established in the previous administration regarding the genocide of Uighurs in China, with “the need to prioritize human rights policy, consistent with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, when in times of emergency, some rights such as religious freedom are non-derogable” and enjoy greater precedence.
If the Biden administration is focused on reinstating the policies of former President Barack Obama (with which it turned its back on the Philippines in 2012), China’s pressures could end up with an invasion of Taiwan and end the stability of the Indo-Pacific region.
Advance in the American Congress against the Communist Party of China
China, with offensive actions, measures Washington’s ability and willingness to react in defending its allies. Taiwan’s importance in the technological field and the determined military response of the Taiwanese citizenry have prompted Japan to call for peace.
In that regard, the United States should monitor increased Chinese military activities in the Taiwan Strait, as these are potentially destabilizing actions as they are conducive to provoking a war incident.
Accordingly, in a bipartisan initiative by members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a “strategic competition” bill was introduced on American institutional strengthening in the face of the threat posed by the CCP figurehead and anti-democratic values to America and its allies.
Congress seeks to intensify pressure on China in two specific areas: intellectual property theft by Beijing-friendly companies and strengthening U.S. ties with Taiwan.
The bill also calls for the Secretary of State to issue an annual list of all Chinese state-owned enterprises that have benefited from intellectual property theft that harms any American company or sector.
Camilo Bello is a consultant focused on Asia Pacific studies and has experience in strategic management. He has studied law in Colombia and is currently pursuing studies in language and history at National Taiwan Normal University. He has collaborated with Students for Freedom in Hong Kong and Taiwan // Camilo es consultor enfocado en estudios de Asia Pacífico y experiencia en gestión estratégica. Cuenta con estudios en Derecho en Colombia y actualmente se encuentra realizando estudios en lenguaje e historia en National Taiwan Normal University. Colaborador de Estudiantes por la Libertad en Hong Kong y Taiwán