Despite Taiwan existing in a geopolitical gray area for the past 70 years, Chinese leaders have expressed their desire to bring Taiwan under full control.
Taiwan governs itself like an independent nation, complete with a strong economy and thriving democratic system. However, China has insisted that the island is part of its territory.
President Xi Jinping reiterated China’s commitment to “reunification” in a speech over the weekend. Xi repeatedly said he sought a “peaceful” way to bring Taiwan back into the fold, but some global affairs experts believe the threat of a military invasion is becoming increasingly likely.
For decades, the United States has pursued a policy of “strategic ambiguity” when it comes to Taiwan, building an economic and military partnership with its government while still officially recognizing China’s claim that the island is part of its territory. Part of that ambiguity involves never providing a definitive answer to the question of whether the U.S. would be willing to use military force to defend the island if China launched an invasion.
Worrying signs about the possibility of China trying to take the island raises a question that could someday demand a concrete answer: Is the U.S. willing to go to war with China to protect Taiwan?
The answer from President Biden; he choses to continue maintaining a noncommittal position.
Some lawmakers and policy analysts have asked Biden to make a commitment to use military force to stop a potential Chinese invasion. They believe doing so is the best way to prevent one from happening.
They argue that no Chinese leader would dare attack Taiwan if they were certain it would spark a war with a world superpower. Some also argue that Taiwan is too strategically important for the U.S. and its allies to allow it to fall under Chinese control if deterrents failed.
Others (like fellow Republicans) say as regrettable as a Chinese invasion would be, it’s not worth risking our necks and starting a conflict with China. Actions could easily escalate into a full-scale war that could cost countless lives and threaten global order.
Military experts have even spoken up and stated the U.S. would probably lose the battle to defend Taiwan. This would mean thousands of innocent American soldiers could die without changing the outcome.
President Biden agreed and promised to hold a virtual summit with Xi before the end of the year. China’s continued pressure campaign against Taiwan will likely be among the many contentious topics discussed by the two leaders.
A fellow Democrat said, “President Biden should declare that, though we will not support a Taiwanese declaration of independence from China, we will defend the island if it is attacked.”
While a Republican said, “Bluntly put, America should refuse to be drawn into a no-win war with Beijing. It needs to be said up front: there would be no palatable choice for Washington if China finally makes good on its decades-long threat to take Taiwan by force.”
Many politicians and American citizens are in agreement that the U.S. should just continue to maintain a noncommittal position as long as we can. While America has a duty to protect the free world from authoritarianism, war with China would pose an existential threat to the U.S..
With such torn opinions, the act of assisting Taiwan seems to hang in balance until President Biden can declare his stance on the matter.
We “MUST” help defend Taiwan. Allowing China to take them over would set a horrible losing trend for the world.