Corporate DispatchPro TONIO GALEA
The Formosa Strait coming to a simmer Now that the turmoil in Hong Kong has somewhat subsided, China is turning its attention to what it considers a rebel province – Taiwan.
Since the split from mainland China at the end of the civil war in 1949. Taiwan has been a long and burning issue for Beijing. The communist leadership vowed to integrate the democratic island with the country again, but many Taiwanese insist on a separate nation. Beijing has ratcheted up pressure after the election of President Tsai in 2016, who rejects the view that Taiwan is part of “one China”. Recent reports have registered a flurry of Chinese military activity around Taiwan. Although such activity is nothing completely new, the increased intensity is ringing alarm bells in Taipei which was even forced to scramble fighters to intercept Chinese warplanes flying towards Taiwan’s airspace. Beijing and Taipei disagree sharply on the island’s status. China is adamant that there is only “one China” and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of it. Taiwan, on the other hand, tacitly observes a 1992 agreement that it will not seek independence. But China is taking no chances. In a high-profile speech in 2019, Chinese President Xi Jinping himself declared that: “We do not promise to renounce the use of force and reserve the option to use all necessary measures.” Nor is the United States’ position on the matter reassuring to Beijing. Although Washington does not officially recognize the Taiwanese government, it has sold billions of dollars’ worth of arms to Taiwan and has refused to rule out defending the island against a Chinese attack. 33
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