China should remove Taiwan 'stick'

Beijing has pointed out that this is a domestic law that should not supersede an international agreement between the two countries. However, in the U.S., domestic law has a higher legal status than accords signed by the executive but not ratified by Congress.

As China rises economically, politically and militarily, it is becoming increasingly important to the United States. That relationship has been described by President Obama as the relationship that “will shape the 21st century.” That means that China is in a position to make Washington pay an increasingly steep political price each time it makes an arms sale to Taiwan.

This is an issue where China rather than the U.S. can take the initiative. If Beijing creates an environment in the Taiwan Strait in which the U.S. feels that Taiwan is not under threat and in which Taiwan itself feels no need to acquire American weapons, the problem will solve itself.

Actually, in the 18 months since Ma Ying-jeou became president, tensions in the Taiwan Strait have gone down substantially. Taiwan and the mainland have signed a plethora of agreements on such issues as air and shipping links and tourism. The signing of an economic cooperation framework agreement, expected early next year, will be another step forward.

But the bottom line is whether there is a military threat to Taiwan. And, so far, the answer is yes. Instead of reducing the number of missiles targeting Taiwan along the Chinese coast, Beijing has actually substantially added to the number.

China may think that it needs to keep the stick while offering carrots to Taiwan. But actually, the stick at this juncture is counterproductive. If China were to simply remove the stick, it will find Taiwan much easier to deal with. And its key problem with the U.S. will wane as well.

Frank.ching@gmail.com

1|2

SharePrintEmail

Write a Comment

Terms

Enter your comments - 3000 characters max

Type in image code

Submit

 Receive China Post promos
 Respond to this email