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US Denies Supporting Taiwan Independence Amid Rising Tensions with China

    US Denies Supporting Taiwan Independence Amid Rising Tensions with China
    Last updated May 13, 2022
    Image credit: news

    Facts

    • US govt. officials denied on Wed. that Washington's stance toward Taiwan has changed, after facing criticism from Beijing over a State Department fact sheet that was updated last week to no longer explicitly state that it considers the island part of China.
    • This comes after China's military said on Wed. that it had tracked and warned a US guided-missile cruiser in the Taiwan Strait, accusing the White House of showing support for "Taiwan secessionist forces."
    • The USS Port Royal warship sailed through the waterway separating the island from mainland China, marking the second such transit in two weeks and the fifth so far this year.
    • The US Navy's 7th Fleet described it as a "routine" transit through international waters "in accordance to international law."
    • Taiwan's officials report that, also on Tues., a Chinese attack helicopter flew across the center of the median line. This is the first such crossing by a Chinese military aircraft since Sept. 2020.
    • On Mon., the PLA's Eastern Theatre Command said it had carried out military exercises near Taiwan over the weekend. During the drills, several Chinese aircrafts reportedly entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone, but no shots were fired.

    Spin

    Anti-China narrative

    The US' traditional strategy of ambiguity with regard to Taipei must be reformed in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Washington must stand for freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law in the Pacific.

    Pro-China narrative

    The US is playing political games. Regardless, even if Washington were to abandon its commitment to the one-China policy, the declining nation has long since lacked the leverage to intimidate China.

    Nerd narrative

    There is a 7% chance that there will be a military conflict between the PRC (China) and ROC (Taiwan) before 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.


    Establishment split

    CRITICAL

    PRO

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