"After 19
hours in Taiwan, the decrepit, demented speaker flew to South Korea, where her
reception was described as "cool." President Yoon Suk Yeol, though at
home in Seoul when Pelosi arrived, did not meet with her, but instead held a
40-minute phone conversation. South Korea, like its neighbors, is anxious
not to offend China."
Watchman comment:
Japan launched all of its invasions of China during the 1930s from Japan’s
aircraft carrier Formosa aka Taiwan. Hence China is very sensitive to events
concerning Taiwan. By the way, Taiwan is the 4th richest country in
the world and the decrepit, demented speaker saw fit to piss away more our
taxpayer money by giving Taiwan $600 million.
BY: Pat Buchanan
When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defied White
House signals that she not stop in Taiwan on her valedictory tour of Asian
capitals, she ignited the worst diplomatic U.S.-China row in decades.
And how did last week's collision turn out for
the United States?
Writes The New York Times:
Speaker Pelosi's trip to Taiwan began with her
"plane departing from Kuala Lumpur and heading southeast toward the
Indonesian part of Borneo, then turning north to fly along the eastern part of
the Philippines. A more direct — and shorter — route would have been to fly
northeast in a direct route over the South China Sea to Taiwan."
Pelosi's avoidance of the South China Sea might
have something to do with China's claim to 90% of it and China's control of
islets in that sea that Beijing has converted into air, missile and naval
bases.
After 19 hours in Taiwan, the speaker flew to
South Korea, where her reception was described as "cool." President
Yoon Suk Yeol, though at home in Seoul when Pelosi arrived, did not meet with
her, but instead held a 40-minute phone conversation.
South Korea, like its neighbors, is anxious not
to offend China.
Consider this anomaly here:
South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand all rely on the United States as their No. 1 ally in defending them against China, but all boast of China as their No. 1 trading partner.
How did Beijing react to Pelosi's 19 hours in
Taiwan?
With warplanes, warships and ballistic missiles,
China conducted live-fire exercises from Thursday noon to Sunday noon, at six
sites surrounding Taiwan. One Chinese missile flew over Taiwan. Five landed in
the exclusive economic zone of Japan.
The effect of these live firings at and around
Taiwan was that of a naval quarantine or blockade. Ships and planes of other
nations avoided air corridors and waters being targeted by Chinese forces.
China also announced diplomatic and economic
sanctions against the U.S. and Taiwan, (Watchman comment: hmm, a taste of our
own sanction medicine) canceling talks with Washington on climate change and
military relations.
Pelosi's visit to Taiwan was the triggering
event that ignited the Chinese war games against Taiwan. But these air, naval
and missile exercises were not planned in a day. They appear to have been
prepared as a dress rehearsal for how China intends to go about bringing Taiwan
home to the motherland, when President Xi Jinping decides the time is right.
Pelosi spent the rest of her trip insisting that
her visit represented no change in U.S. policy on Taiwan.
Speaking to reporters in Tokyo, Pelosi
reiterated, "Our representation here is not about changing the status
quo," adding that Beijing is "probably using our visit as an
excuse."
As the live firing went on for 72 hours, the
White House echoed Pelosi that the U.S. recognizes Beijing's claim that Taiwan
is a "part of China" and does not contest that claim. Nor have we any
intention of shifting U.S. policy on Taiwan as it has been pursued since Jimmy
Carter broke U.S. diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1979.
Where was the U.S. aircraft carrier Ronald
Reagan, then on Asian assignment during all this? Cruising in the Philippine
Sea, not the South China Sea or Taiwan Strait or East China Sea, all claimed by
Beijing.
What was the message sent and the message
received from the war games with which China responded to Pelosi's visit to
Taiwan?
From Beijing, the message sent to the U.S. was
clear.
China regards Taiwan as its detached province.
It will confront any power, including the United States, that is perceived to
be challenging that political reality. It will respond to any Taiwanese move to
establish its independence of Beijing as a casus belli, a justification for
war.
The White House did not move any planes, ships
or missiles to counter the Chinese live-fire exercises and, indeed, reassured
Beijing repeatedly that Pelosi's visit did not represent any change in U.S.
policy.
It is
hard to see how Asia's free and democratic nations and U.S. allies Japan, South
Korea and Australia could not have taken away the conclusion that bristling
Chinese aggressiveness had just been met by American passivity. Hawkish members of the Senate like Lindsey Graham
appear to believe that.
Consider the path Beijing has lately pursued:
It has attacked and captured border lands in the
Himalayas from India, claimed virtually the entire South China Sea, fortified
half a dozen isles in that sea, claimed the Taiwan Strait as territorial
waters, the transit of which by U.S. and allied warships requires China's
permission, claimed Taiwan as part of China, as well as the nearby Senkaku
Islands held by Japan.
Now it has sent military aircraft and warships
across the Taiwan Strait into and over the waters surrounding Taiwan and
test-fired missiles and rockets to reinforce its claim to the island.
When 21st-century China stakes a claim to
something in Asia, it backs up its claim with action. The trend is unmistakable
and points to a future confrontation over Taiwan.
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