Diplomat sees threat to peace and advises Washington against recognizing Taiwan’s autonomy

Officially, the US considers Taiwan to be part of China. Although it is the island’s main partner in commercial and even military terms, the US government respects the “One China” principle established by Beijing. And, at the risk of “undermining” peace if it acts differently, the ideal would be for Washington to maintain this position. This is said by Daniel Kritenbrink, US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, who spoke on Tuesday (30) to a subcommittee of his country’s Senate. The information is from the network Radio Free Asia (RFA).

“We preserve peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” Kritenbrink said. “We believe that changing this picture, changing the core elements of the US ‘One China’ policy, would be reckless. And instead of contributing to stability, we believe it would undermine it.”

Taiwan is a sensitive territorial issue for China, and the struggle between Beijing and the West over the island’s alleged autonomy creates a tense environment, with the growing threat of an invasion by the Chinese Armed Forces in order to formally annex the territory. Taiwanese.

Foreign nations that treat the island as an autonomous country are, in Beijing’s understanding, in disagreement with the “One China” principle, which also sees Hong Kong as part of the Chinese nation.

Although it does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, like most other countries, the US is Taipei’s most important international financier and main military partner. Such circumstances have led relations between Beijing and Washington to their worst moment since 1979, when the two countries resumed diplomatic ties.

Tensions aside, the deputy secretary assesses that the system “has stood the test of time over the last 45 years” and there is no reason to change it. Giving up on the alliance is absolutely not in Washington’s plans, while taking the opposite path, of officially recognizing Taiwan’s independence, would generate a lot of damage.

The proximity between the US and the island is already great enough to lead Beijing to toughen its rhetoric. The crisis took on more dramatic contours after the visit of the then President of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan in 2022. She was the first person in the position to travel there in 25 years, an attitude that affected Beijing’s pride.

In response, China carried out one of its largest military exercises around the island, with live fire and missile tests in six different areas. The training served as an effective blockade, preventing both maritime transport and aviation around the island. Therefore, commercial flights had to be canceled, and vessels were prevented from sailing due to the Chinese military presence.

Since then, global expectations for a Chinese invasion have increased considerably. For some experts, such as US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the attack “is not imminent”. However, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in October “that Beijing is determined to pursue reunification on a much faster timeline.”

The statements by the head of North American diplomacy are in line with what Xi said at the 20th Congress of the CPC. “We will continue to fight for peaceful reunification,” he said upon securing his third term at the head of the country. “But we will never promise to renounce the use of force. And we reserve the option to take all necessary measures.”

With peace at stake, Kritenbrink strengthened his position before the Senate. “It is important that the United States and our allies and partners continue to be the party that defends the status quowhich advocates responsible maintenance of status quo”, he declared.