The Visit of Kuomintang Chair Zheng Liwen to the People’s Republic of China |
The Visit of Kuomintang Chair Zheng Liwen to the People’s Republic of China
On 7 April, at the invitation of President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping, Zheng Liwen, the leader of Taiwan’s leading opposition party, the Kuomintang, paid a week-long visit to the mainland. She headed a delegation from her party.
The Uncertainty of United States Strategy as a Key External Factor in the Taiwan Question
At that time, the United States was compelled to declare its recognition of the “One China” principle, which is of fundamental importance to Beijing, while at the same time retaining freedom of manoeuvre to ensure Taiwan’s de facto independence. This was achieved primarily through the supply of American weapons to the island and the preservation of the possibility of military intervention in case Beijing attempted to resolve the Taiwan question by force.
However, it is not possible to constantly and consistently deceive a partner that was once a situational ally but has now become the principal geopolitical opponent. Washington is therefore inevitably approaching the moment when it will have to abandon “strategic ambiguity” in the Taiwan question and move towards “strategic clarity.” In this regard, there are only two directly opposing options emerging: either the United States will abandon adherence to the “One China” principle and recognise Taiwan as an independent state, or it will cease to obstruct Beijing in bringing the island under its administrative control by any means.
President Donald Trump himself appears to be inclined towards one of these two possible solutions to the Taiwan question. This tendency was already visible during his first presidency and is now being confirmed, for example, by the current delays in the delivery of American weapons to Taiwan. This suggests that the matter is not limited to situational considerations, including those connected with Trump’s visit to China that never took place. It is likely that the........