US needs to move now to deter a Taiwan takeover
Asia TimesMar 07, 2023
Kevin McCarthy, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, confirmed on Tuesday his plans to meet Taiwan Pres. Tsai Ing-wen on US soil this year, as she is reportedly set to stop in California and New York in April on her way to visit diplomatic allies in Central America.
Two sources who spoke to Reuters on the condition of anonymity on Monday claimed that Tsai has already been invited to speak at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California, with one of them stressing that this meeting does not rule out McCarthy visiting Taiwan in the future.
The only thing worse than the US intervening and failing to stop China's potential takeover of Taiwan would be for the US to do nothing at all. Such a decision would be devastating for America's credibility and would severely damage the value of alliances with the US. Consequently, America, the West, and its allies must work together, take a clear stand and continue to confront PRC adventurism against its neighbors.
While Tsai has made diplomatic journeys in years prior, the situation between Taiwan, the US, and China has drastically changed in recent times. No matter where Tsai and McCarthy meet, to do so would be a clear act of provocation. The Taiwan question is an internal matter and should be left alone by the United States, who long ago agreed to the "One China" policy.
A military confrontation between China and the US over Taiwan would endanger not only both superpowers but the rest of the world. Both have exaggerated Taiwan's ideological, economic, and strategic importance to get the better of one another, as has continued to happen for decades. Both sides must step back from over-investing in the inflated necessity of seeing their goals in Taiwan fulfilled for the sake of the world.
There is a 68% chance that the US will respond with military force if China invades Taiwan before 2035, according to the Metaculus prediction community.