THE Pelosi ‘stealth-in-the night’ flight to Taipei for a photo-op with the bag lady Tsai-Ingwen is a pretext of showing “unwavering American ‘iron clad’ commitment” to defend Taiwan from “aggression” to cover her real intention, which is, “re-election” in the US’ midterm elections this November even as the heightened tension is a boost to the US MIC (military industrial complex), her real “constituents.”
Knowing what we know about the history of U.S. commitments ranging from Vietnam to Afghanistan and now Ukraine as well as the E.U. in the U.S.-imposed “sanctions war,” we know that U.S. commitments to its allies and friends are never worth the paper they are written on.
In the midst of the Pelosi visit, the supposed friend of Pelosi and the U.S. began suffering the consequences of U.S. commitment as China started imposing its ban on 100 Taiwan companies from exporting to China.
Hundreds of commodities from varieties of citrus and apples, species of seafood, even cookie products are not spared. It remains to be seen how much more economic pain China will inflict on the small island’s economy that depends on China for up to 40 percent of its exports.
Taiwanese residents are also suffering the tension and disruptions from Pelosi’s stealth visit as China in a show of force, imposed restrictions on civilian air and sea transportation around Taiwan for the duration of military “live fire” exercises it called by way of a response.
Taiwan has had to negotiate with the Philippines and Japan for alternative routes around what effectively was a short term “blockade” by China on Taiwan as a sample of what China can do and will do long term if push comes to shove.
Taiwan is already suffering from the Pelosi trip. Pelosi hopes to win the votes of her California constituencies of Chinese descent such as immigrants from Taiwan and Hong Kong, some American analysts say.
Leland Holt Vittert of the U.S. NewsNation network says in his report on August 2, “Pelosi is only winner in trip to Taiwan.” This is how inane the American political system is that allows an individual to hold even the State hostage to political ambition.
The U.S. State, that abstract notion that keeps a nation united, has neither the power nor the substance to present a government with integrity to face the world and to stand by its commitments, in this case the “One China” policy.
Although, the “strategic ambiguity” is useful in plotting treachery.
The U.S. is actually staging a creeping “Asian Ukraine proxy war” with its escalating higher-and- higher level visits of U.S. officials to Taipei, hoping to embolden the pro-independence elements in Taiwan.
The international community is standing by China in this continuing U.S. “strategic ambiguity” and Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Syria and others have frowned on if not condemned the Pelosi visit to Taiwan.
The Philippines has been quiet on the matter but may have given the U.S. a cold shoulder as earlier reported by some media outlets.
Pelosi is visiting South Korea but neither its President nor its foreign minister will be meeting Pelosi, another telling signal.
The Philippines should at the very minimum keep quiet about the Pelosi gimmick, which it is doing. Although from an ethical point-of-view, the Philippines could have been more vocal for peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific region and the world by discouraging such adventurism such as the Pelosi stunt which benefits no one, not even the U.S. but herself only.
Even the U.S. will not fault the Philippines for saying so as criticism of Pelosi’s trip is also mounting in the U.S.
Advising against such adventurism would also earn the Philippines merits with China which may just transfer its purchases of citrus and other fruits imports leaving Taiwan to the Philippines, as it did the past years for banana which allowed the Philippines to be the number 1 exporter of bananas to China.
Is the Department of Foreign Affairs considering this, and coordinating with the Dept. of Trade which I know is very keen on the China market.
Let me digress a bit to the often-heard Philippine posture vis-à-vis its US and China relations.
Up to this time, the official government line is the Philippines is “Friends to all, enemy to none,” which reminds me of Aristotle’s own line on friends. Aristotle said, “A friend to all is a friend to none” and one explanation of this is “it is possible to be a friend to many by simply being a good person; however, one cannot have with many people the same relationship that is based in virtue and character.”
Isn’t it about time the Philippines become virtuous in its foreign policy and foreign relations instead of simply being opportunistic?
We have seen how cavalierly the U.S. foreign policy take its commitment to world peace and stability and destabilize the world at every opportunity it sees, while China has shown its reliability in adhering to international fairness and justice, and the pursuit of global growth and prosperity for peace and harmony.