Nancy Pelosi’s possible visit to Taiwan has tightened the relationship between the United States and China. It would be the first visit by the Speaker of the House of Representatives to Taiwan since 1997.
Taiwan has long been a bone of contention in US-China relations.
The discussion about Taiwan has now surfaced because the speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi it has been reported that he will also visit Taiwan on his trip to Asia. The visit has not been officially confirmed, but Pelosi is expected to arrive in Taiwan’s capital, Taipei, on Tuesday.
What makes Taiwan so significant and why exactly does it affect the US-China relationship? looked for the answers to the following questions.
1. Why does Taiwan rub shoulders between China and the United States?
Since the end of the Chinese Civil War, the Chinese Communist Party has considered Taiwan a rebel province. In practice, however, Taiwan is an independent island nation without widespread international recognition, just over 150 kilometers from the coast of mainland China.
Research professor at the Foreign Policy Institute Mikael Mattlinin according to China, the existence of Taiwan is a constant reminder that the Chinese Communist Party does not have full control over the territory it considers to be part of China.
The US has long supported Taiwan. It has not officially recognized Taiwan as an independent state, but the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 obliges the United States to help maintain Taiwan’s ability to defend itself. This has been realized, for example, as a weapon aid.
The United States has strengthened its relations with Taiwan in many ways Donald Trump’s since the reign. For China, this means that the United States is blurring the so-called one-China policy.
2. Why is Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan so important right now?
The president holds the third highest position in the US government hierarchy, after the president and vice president.
The last time such a high-level visit to Taiwan was seen was in 1997. The difference to the visit 25 years ago is significant, as China is now much stronger militarily, politically and economically. The timing is also difficult.
– The visit will take place before the Party Congress of the Communist Party of China, where the president Xi Jinping another term in the leadership of the party is coming up. From the point of view of the next term, the president hardly wants such core issues of sovereignty and the legitimacy of the party to be snowballed, so to speak, Mikael Mattlin clarifies.
Nancy Pelosi is a well-known China critic. Mattlin thinks that he may not have understood at first how big a deal the Chinese leadership considers the visit to be.
– Later on, it was difficult to cancel the visit, because from the point of view of the United States, it would look like the Chinese leadership is dictating who the American leadership can meet, says Mattlin.
Canceling the trip to Taiwan would raise the question of how committed the United States is to Taiwan in general.
3. China has threatened the United States with various actions if Pelosi’s visit materializes. What could these actions be and should I be concerned about them?
This time it seems that China takes this visit more seriously than previous visits, Mikael Mattlin says.
– China has communicated both in public and through private channels to the United States that the visit, if realized, is such a big deal that it is forced to take measures.
Possible measures could be, for example, moving military equipment closer, cyber attacks and flights also across the center line of the Taiwan Strait.
There has also been speculation that Chinese fighter jets would come to escort Pelosi’s plane. American fighter jets are also coming to escort, so this could cause a difficult situation.
– The most extreme action would be some limited military action. However, the risks would be high in such a case, and it is not considered very likely at the moment, says Mattlin.