While the war in Ukraine rages in Europe, everyone seems to have forgotten about Taiwan and the Chinese Communists’ interest in it.
On Friday, six U.S. lawmakers arrived in Taiwan on a “surprise visit” to show the flag and let the Taiwanese government know the United States hasn’t forgotten them. China decided this was a perfect time to stage military exercises, demonstrating that they haven’t forgotten about Taiwan, either.
China, which continues to back Vladimir Putin in his claims on Ukraine, will probably ask the Russian president to return the favor in the near future, as China continues to bark about its sacred “sovereignty” and Taiwan steadfastly refuses to yield an inch.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that the drills conducted by the People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command in areas opposite Taiwan were “a countermeasure to the recent negative actions of the U.S., including the visit of a delegation of lawmakers to Taiwan.”
He pledged that China would “continue to take strong measures to resolutely safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The Eastern Theater Command described the exercises as “a necessary action based on the present security situation in the Taiwan Strait and the need to safeguard national sovereignty.”
“Taiwan is a sacred and inalienable part of Chinese territory. There is no room for any foreign interference on the Taiwan issue,” its statement said.
There has to be a limit on a nation’s claim to sovereignty — especially when the territorial claim involves an island that until the 1600s was independent of the mainland.
But it doesn’t matter. Hong Kong had its own national character, and Beijing claimed it for its own. Hong Kong had its own politics and its own culture, and the Chinese Communists still brutally suppressed any idea of separatism — just as they’ve done in Tibet.
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If China invades, they probably won’t get much of an argument from the United States. But like Russia in Ukraine, conquering a people willing to resist is often far more difficult than originally believed. Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen has warned China repeatedly that Taiwan won’t exit the world stage peacefully.
Tsai said she welcomed the lawmakers and hoped the visit would help to further strengthen U.S.-Taiwan cooperation.
“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has proven that democracies must bolster their alliances and collectively we can defend ourselves from the threats posed by authoritarian nations that seek to disrupt regional peace,” the president said.
America is the island’s biggest unofficial ally and has stepped up weapons sales to Taiwan in past years.
In the past, China’s goal of reunification with Taiwan appeared to be more rhetorical than a serious threat. But President Xi has built up a powerful Chinese military, including a navy with the capability of invading and conquering an island nation.
Xi and the Chinese Communists appear determined to make reunification a reality — whether Taiwan wants it or not.
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