NO DOUBT, the visit of the United States (US) House of Representative Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan recently was thus far a strong provocation vis-à-vis China.
The visit of Pelosi to Taiwan, to a greater extent, has challenged the bottom line and the red line of China while undermining China’s sovereign and territorial integrity over Taiwan, a province of China.
It was definitely a reckless and irresponsible move on the part of Pelosi that has changed the trajectory and the atmosphere at both sides of the Taiwan Strait and nearby areas.
The recent visit of Pelosi to Taiwan is an emblem of disrespect and disregard for the principles of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity and non-interference in each country’s internal affairs; a breach of the norms of international relations/law and interference in China’s internal affairs. This is a glaring fact.
The visit of Pelosi is a serious violation of the One-China Principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiqués. This is indeed a dangerous provocation distorting, altering, obscuring, and hollowing out the one-China principle and trying to cross red lines and push the boundaries of China-US relations nearer to armed confrontation.
To note, the One-China Principle clearly states that there is only one sovereign state under the name China, with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) serving as the sole legitimate government of that China, and Taiwan is a part of China.
This is one of the basic norms governing international relations, and one of the bedrocks of international law.
The One-China principle is recognized by the United Nations, by 181 countries including the United States. While Taiwan’s so-called “independence” is recognized by less than two dozen countries across the globe.
Unilateralism
More importantly, the visit of Pelosi despite opposition from the PRC and the Chinese people is another testament that the United States is not a reliable and trustworthy partner that will honor its part of the bargain. The visit of Pelosi further affirms and confirms that whenever convenient and suits their hegemonic interests, the United States will unilaterally act even to the point of violating international laws, and defying basic norms of international relations at the expense of other countries and the world at large.
But what is new for the United States when it comes to unilateralism? The United States’ acts of unilateralism are all about US hegemony and exceptionalism, and the US has been doing this all the time. This is the classic trademark of the US.
Strategic Ambiguity
Likewise, it is problematic that the US says one thing and does another thing. They have this deliberate practice of strategic ambiguity also known as a policy of strategic uncertainty of being intentionally ambiguous on certain aspects of US foreign policy that suit their geostrategic and hegemonic interests at the expense of another country.
In short, US foreign policy toward the Taiwan issue vis-à-vis the One China Principle is akin to a “two-faced” foreign policy loaded with double standards.
Hence, Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan has caused great tension and controversy across the Taiwan Strait. It put the Taiwan Strait in a new round of tensions and severe challenges.
Such an irresponsible move on the part of Pelosi, the Taiwan authorities, and the US deserves condemnation for it puts the whole world on a brink of another world war.
Guardrails
Above all, the visit of Pelosi to Taiwan violated and disregarded fundamental guardrails in how competition and rivalry among and between great powers are managed and this is dangerous. The basic guide rails in the great power rivalry and competition between China and the United States in this day and age, so it won’t get out of control, have been the One China Principle and the provisions of the three joint communiqués between them.
Sadly, the said guardrails have been torn down by Pelosi’s political adventurism and the United States’ propensity for disrespecting basic norms of international relations and international law.
The visit of Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan is akin to the breakdown of the guardrails and this signals “topsy-turvy” relations between the two superpowers, China and the United States. This is a very dangerous situation that countries like the Philippines and the world at large must not allow to escalate.
The Philippines & the Taiwan Question
Moreover, on the part of the Philippines, it is a positive note that as a country we adhere to the One China Principle, which is one of the foundations of our bilateral relations with China.
And if China decides to hasten the reunification of Taiwan to the mainland/motherland, this process is an internal affair of China, and countries like the Philippines should not get involved. If we do otherwise, it would mean we are interfering in China’s sovereign internal affairs and it will generate a backlash on our relations with China.
As a country, the Philippines needs a genuine and authentic independent foreign policy in every sense and that would mean complete neutrality and positioning itself as non-aligned country.
In doing so, time is of the essence.
The Philippines has no enemies and should not create one at all costs. Thus, no need to choose a side.
Our relations with each country should be based on our national interests and should be based on what’s good for the country and not for the benefit of other countries at our expense. The Philippines is a friend of China and the US.
US ‘enemies’ or ‘adversaries’ are not our country’s enemies/adversaries and this must be emphasized by the current administration under the leadership of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
As a country we should uphold our national interests and not be dragged into any conflict, not our own making is, clearly, not part of our national interests.