News Highlight
China’s military drills in Taiwan in response to the United States House Speaker’s visit to Taiwan.
China continues live-fire drills in six regions around Taiwan after the visit of the U.S. House Speaker.
Key Takeaway.
- China’s military began live firing drills in six regions surrounding Taiwan, firing missiles from its eastern coast into waters east of the island.
- It put in place an effective blockade that disrupted flights and shipping.
- The military exercises have effectively blockaded the waters and airspace in the six regions and resulted in major disruptions to shipping and flights to Taiwan.
- The visit has also had wider ramifications for China-U.S. relations.
- China said it would cancel three key bilateral military dialogue mechanisms and suspend five others.
- The three cancelled dialogues are as follows.
- A Theatre Commanders meet.
- Defence Policy Coordination Talks.
- Talks under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement.
Why does China have a problem with the US House Speaker’s visit to Taiwan?
- The presence of a senior American figure in Taiwan would indicate some kind of US support for Taiwan’s independence.
- According to China, the visits also undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity over Taiwan.
The History of China-Taiwan issues.
- The first known settlers in Taiwan were Austronesian tribal people, who are thought to have come from modern-day southern China.
- The island seems to have first appeared in Chinese records in AD239 when an emperor sent an expeditionary force to explore the area – a fact Beijing uses to back up its territorial claim.
- After becoming a Dutch colony (1624-1661), Taiwan was administered by China’s Qing dynasty from 1683 to 1895.
- From the 17th century, significant numbers of migrants started arriving from China.
- Their descendants are now by far the largest demographic group on the island.
- In 1895, Japan won the First Sino-Japanese War, and the Qing government had to cede Taiwan to Japan.
- After World War Two, Japan surrendered and abandoned control of the territory it had taken from China.
- The Republic of China (ROC) – one of the victors in the war – began ruling Taiwan with the consent of its allies, the US and the UK.
- But in the next few years, a civil war broke out in China, and the then-leader Chiang Kai-shek’s troops were defeated by Mao Zedong’s Communist army.
- Chiang Kai-shek fled to Taiwan in 1949 along with his Kuomintang (KMT) government.
- This group, referred to as Mainland Chinese, dominated Taiwan’s politics for many years, though they only account for 14% of the population.
- Chiang established a government in exile in Taiwan, which he led for the next 25 years.
- Chiang’s son, Chiang Ching-Kuo, allowed more democratisation after coming to power.
- He faced resistance from local people resentful of authoritarian rule and was under pressure from a growing democracy movement.
- President Lee Teng-hui, known as Taiwan’s “father of democracy”, led constitutional changes, eventually making way for the election of the island’s first non-KMT (Kuomintang ) president, Chen Shui-bian, in 2000.
- China has never recognised the existence of Taiwan as an independent political entity, arguing that it was always a Chinese province.
- Taiwan says that the modern Chinese state was only formed after the revolution of 1911, and it was not a part of that state or of the People’s Republic of China that was established after the communist revolution.
What are the “One China Principle” and “One China Policy”?
- The People’s Republic of China (PRC) follows the One China Principle.
- As per this, there is only one China, and Taiwan is a part of China.
- The One China policy is a key cornerstone of Sino-US relations.
- It is the diplomatic acknowledgement of China’s position that there is only one Chinese government exists.
- Under the policy, the US recognises and has formal ties with China rather than the island of Taiwan, which China sees as a breakaway province.
New changes
- China.
- One of China’s stated national security objectives has been “reunification with Taiwan”.
- China sees Taiwan as a breakaway province.
- Taiwan
- In 2016, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Tsai Ing-wen was elected President.
- In 2016, she initiated a conversation with the then US President—the first time since 1979.
- In 2018, the US signed into law the Taiwan Travel Act, which allows American officials to step up exchanges with Taiwan.
- The United States
- The US has carried out a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics, added more Chinese companies to its trade restriction list, and
- Congress has passed a bill to counter China’s human rights abuses in Xinjiang.
- Later, the US concretised the relationship by signing the AUKUS trilateral security pact with the UK and Australia, and increasing Quad coordination with Japan, India, and Australia to limit Beijing’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
- Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there was concern over whether China could carry out similar activities in Taiwan.
- Against this background, Speaker Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan has led some security scholars to predict a fourth Taiwan Strait Crisis.
Possible impacts of the China- Taiwan war.
- It would derail global trade:
- Indo-Pacific is one of the busiest shipping trade routes in the world.
- Almost 33% of seaborne trade goes through this region.
- If it becomes a battleground, the impact would be immeasurable.
- It would affect global semiconductors availability:
- Taiwan is the biggest manufacturer of semiconductors they make up around half of all exports.
- The consequences of lack of semiconductors become more expensive vehicles, digital gadgets etc.
- May lead to an economic war:
- The USA likely backs Taiwan, which is becoming a war between the USA and China.
- Which may lead to economic sanctions and protectionist tendencies.
- It may lead to a global economic emergency.
- Social impacts:
- Even though Taiwan does not possess nuclear weapons, China has new-age weapons. The unfair usage of these weapons impacts beyond imagination.
- Polarising world.
- The beginning of the war may polarize the world. so far, Russia and Iran are backed by China. The beginning of the war would polarize the world further.
About Taiwan
- Taiwan is located at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.
- Capital –Taipei
- Neighboring countries:
- Northwest – People’s Republic of China
- Northeast – Japan
- South – Philippines
- Maritime Borders:
- North and northeast – The East China Sea
- East –The Pacific Ocean
Pic Courtesy: The Quint
Content Source: The Indian Express.