We Should Support Taiwan Without Going to War With China
A war between two nuclear powers has no benefits for humanity.
As the Biden Administration continues to move closer to engaging in a New Cold War with China, the conversation surrounding that possibility occasionally revolves around Taiwan; specifically about the potential response the US might have in the event of a Chinese invasion of the island. There are many aspects of this debate, some of which are seldom talked about or often overlooked. This conversation is a very important one to have, preferably before the situation grows into a much larger, more serious problem. When discussing the potential for war between two nuclear powers, we shouldn’t be too cavalier.
In order to better understand the current situation, it would probably be helpful to have a brief summary of the nation’s history. Taiwan has been connected with China for the vast majority of its existence, not just geographically but also politically as well as economically. Although their collective history goes back centuries, a good place to start for this particular conversation would be 1945 when Taiwan, once again, became a part of China after being a colony of Japan for the previous 50 years.
During that time, Chiang Kai-shek, the leader of the Kuomintang (KMT), China’s Nationalist Party, was in the midst of a civil war with Mao Zedong’s Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that had reignited after WWII. In 1949 the communists declared victory and established the People’s Republic of China, which forced Chiang Kai-shek and many of his remaining party members to flee to Taiwan, where he continued to rule the Republic of China (be careful not to confuse the two) by military dictatorship until his death in 1975.
Throughout those years, Chiang maintained that he was the rightful leader of China, and vowed to one day reclaim the mainland. At the same time, Mao Zedong felt that his government had a claim to Taiwan, thus beginning the complicated struggle that has more or less continued to this day. The ROC held China’s seat at the UN until 1971 when they were officially expelled and the international community gave the spot to Beijing. Most of the world has seen Taiwan as part of China ever since; this position was solidified with the 1992 Consensus, although both governments seem to view the agreement differently.
The US has kept an unofficial relationship with Taiwan since they were ousted from the UN, but that relationship was increased during the Trump Administration when the former president signed the Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act; a bipartisan bill designed to strengthen our support for the island. That was one of the many ways Trump heightened tensions with China, with his trade war being another obvious example.
The Biden Administration has continued many of Trump’s policies despite right-leaning media outlets claiming he’s “soft on China” which is a tactic that’s reminiscent of liberal media’s incessant Russiagate conspiracy theories, ignoring the fact that Trump consistently increased tensions against Russia. While the Hunter Biden laptop scandal is not without its merit, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Joe Biden isn’t escalating the situation.
Biden has openly stated that the US will defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack, although people within his administration have since walked back those statements. Even so, his and Congress’ actions have sent the same message. The AUKUS agreement between the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia is a very good example of Biden extensively increasing the risk of an all-out war with China.
The most recent development in this ongoing back-and-forth is China setting up what appears to be mockups of US navy ships to use for target practice in the Xinjiang desert, according to Maxar satellite imagery. This news closely follows earlier reports that China was testing hypersonic missiles. Clearly, tensions are reaching a very dangerous point, and we should do everything we can to diffuse the situation before things escalate further.
Do not confuse my anti-war position as an endorsement of China’s authoritarian government, or as a lack of respect for Taiwan’s more liberal democracy. Regardless of how one feels about these two nations and their current state of affairs, it shouldn’t be overlooked that US military intervention often yields poor results. The recent botched withdrawal of Afghanistan that ended with a drone strike that murdered 10 innocent civilians — including seven children — should serve as a sobering reminder that attempts at policing the world can easily go wrong. The US should follow the advice of John Quincy Adams who stated: “America… goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher of freedom and independence to all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own.”
I support Taiwan’s right to independence if that is what is desired by its citizens. A Pew Research Center poll from 2019 concluded that the majority of Taiwanese people prefer closer ties to the US than to China, and many Americans feel a desire to help liberate the island from a very obvious totalitarian government. Even with that being the case, it is not our job to fight every battle for every country the world over. We should instead lead the world through example.
The best way to promote freedom would be to restore it at home first and use diplomacy wherever we can. We should cease all sanctions and military engagement and allow refugees and immigrants from oppressive regimes to more easily enter the country. We should return to the promise embedded on The Statue of Liberty: “Give me your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
No matter how you view the current situation, it’s an irrefutable fact that a nuclear war with China has absolutely no benefits to humanity. The world would not be made better by our meddling in affairs that are not our own. I support Taiwan, and I condemn any attempt by mainland China to control a population that wishes to be independent, but that does not negate the very real fact that a war with China would have devastating effects. The Biden Administration would do well to consider all the potentially deadly consequences before it continues down the path it’s on.
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