Washington has set a precedent dangerous to the whole world by recognizing China’s territorial integrity on the one hand and “protecting” a part of China from China itself on the other
In the run-up to the Beijing Olympics, the government of unrecognised Taiwan has announced negotiations with Washington for the establishment of a permanent base of the US Marine Corps on the island.
On February 4, 2022, the 24th Winter Olympics will be inaugurated in Beijing. Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to visit the event. His visit will include talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, followed by the signing of political and economic agreements.
At the same time, the US and England are doing all they can to spoil the sporting event. They have initiated a diplomatic boycott of the Olympics, accusing Beijing of “genocide” of the Uighurs. And since the boycott did not have the expected effect, they are trying to stir up the Taiwanese conflict.
To gain a foothold in Taiwan, the US has invested in infrastructure development, petrochemicals, metallurgy and shipbuilding. US corporations gave Taiwanese companies the rights to use their technology, trademarks and brands. In turn, the Taiwanese paid the Americans for the use of their technology and intellectual rights.
This cooperation, which is called “franchising,” proved to be commercially very lucrative. After all, Taiwanese goods were attractive in both quality and reasonable price. Their cost of production was low thanks to cheap labor, i.e. the ruthless exploitation of the Taiwanese. This created excellent conditions for exporting Taiwanese goods. By the early 1970s, Taiwan was completely reoriented towards the production and export of household appliances and then electronics. The lion’s share of profits went into the pockets of American franchisors. As a consequence, Taiwan became a U.S. production site under the protection of its navy.
At the same time, part of the profits from exports remained on the island. This has led to a change in the social structure of Taiwanese society. For the past 50 years, Taiwan has experienced slow but steady growth in per capita income. Already in the 1990s, the standard of living of the population reached the highest levels in China’s history. Since then, the average nominal wage in purchasing power has risen by a further 1.5 times. Along with the rise in income, the priorities of the Taiwanese have also changed. While in 1951 61.8 percent of Taiwanese people prioritized making a living, today half of the population prioritizes home ownership and quality education. The latter indicator is especially important. After all, quality education leads to an increase in the population’s political awareness.
In order to stop this process, the Americans have resorted to a policy of containment. Since the 1990s and especially since the early 2000s, they have restricted access of Taiwanese companies to foreign markets. But in the end they achieved just the opposite effect. Beijing took advantage of the situation. Beijing opened its market to Taiwanese exports, luring Taiwanese manufacturers with preferential terms and cheap loans. As a result mainland China has become the largest market for Taiwan. The stage has been set for further economic rapprochement between Beijing and Taipei, which would inevitably be followed by integration and the elimination of the US military base. This cannot be allowed by Washington.
Today the US is trying to impose the so-called “southbound” policy on Taiwan. It is about redirecting Taiwanese exports from China to Australia and Southeast Asian countries – Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, etc. In order to encourage Taipei to break off its cooperation with Beijing, the Taiwan-China conflict is being provoked.
The fact is that legally there is no Taiwanese state. The island is considered an integral part of the People’s Republic of China. Its status is enshrined in that very way in UN documents. This is the starting point for the Chinese leadership. And it cannot but react to the establishment of a permanent US Marine Corps base in Taiwan. After all, that would mean an extension of the American occupation of part of Chinese territory and, most importantly, its legalization.
One last thing. The Taiwan issue is important to our country because the US is setting a dangerous international precedent. US-Taiwan relations are governed by the Taiwan Relations Act. This statute states that the United States recognizes only one China – the People’s Republic of China. Accordingly, Taiwan is considered the territory of the People’s Republic of China. The same act obligates … to protect “the people of Taiwan” from China.
It has created a precedent when the US, recognising the territorial integrity of China, reserves the right to occupy part of its territory.
Yuri Gorodnenko, RenTV