After Trump, Biden faces pressure to stand up to China by embracing Taiwan



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TAIPEI, Taiwan – President Trump has made closer ties with Taiwan a critical part of his efforts to counter China’s growing influence. He dramatically increased arms sales to the Taiwanese military, pledged to step up economic cooperation, and generally strengthened relations with the self-governing democratic island – even in its dying days.

His successor, President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., will most likely continue on a similar path, but without the characteristic pugnacity of Mr. Trump.

As concerns grow over China’s increasingly aggressive behavior on the world stage, Biden will face pressure from Democrats and Republicans to strengthen ties with Taiwan, which Beijing sees as part of its territory. .

While Mr. Biden said little about Taiwan during the election campaign, he said the United States should be “tough on China” and called its top leader Xi Jinping a “thug.” Its transition team has already contacted Taiwanese officials.

“If China continues to exert military and economic pressure on Taiwan, Biden will have to demonstrate that he will not sit still while China intimidates Taiwan,” said Bonnie S. Glaser, senior advisor for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

Its approach, however, should be less confrontational than that of its predecessor. “I don’t think Biden is trying to use Taiwan to poke Xi Jinping in the eye and make him look weak,” Glaser added. “There will be no deliberate effort to make Taiwan a sticking point.”

Within two months of his tenure, Mr. Trump is working to leave a legacy of severed ties between the United States and China, including a series of last-minute actions focused on Taiwan.

The US government held economic talks in Washington with Taiwan officials last week, prompting a rebuke from Beijing. Next month, the White House plans to send the head of the Environmental Protection Agency to the Taiwanese capital, Taipei, the latest in a series of high-profile visits by US officials that have shaken the Chinese government.

Mr. Trump has attracted a loyal following in Taiwan because of his administration’s criticism of the Chinese Communist Party on issues such as trade, the coronavirus and the crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong. It has garnered praise in Taiwan for moving quickly to approve arms sales, including more than $ 4 billion last month. He is also widely praised for his decision, as president-elect in 2016, to take a phone call from President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan, breaking with decades of diplomatic practice.

“Trump’s actions have been very strong,” said Tsai Yi-yu, a lawmaker from southern Taiwan. Mr. Tsai fervently supported the president, going so far as to wear a “Keep America Great” face mask during meetings with Taiwanese leaders.

“Maintaining Trump’s policy in Taiwan will be the best thing for Taiwan,” he said, citing Mr. Trump’s support for arms sales.

In Taiwan, Mr. Biden’s rise has been greeted with some anxiety, especially within the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, which is critical of China.

Many politicians and activists in Taiwan have become increasingly concerned in recent years about Mr. Xi’s rampant authoritarianism. They called on world leaders to more vigorously push back Beijing’s efforts to bring the island under its control and to treat Taiwan as an equal.

Mr. Biden is seen in Taiwan as more risk averse. He is best known for his time as Vice President of President Barack Obama, who has come under fire in Taiwan for not doing enough to stand up to Xi. As a senator, Biden helped integrate China into international groups like the World Trade Organization, which gave the country an edge as it sought to grow its economy and exert influence in the system. global.

Mr. Biden has resisted the idea of ​​giving in to pressure from Beijing. As proof of Mr. Biden’s commitment to Taiwan, his advisers cited his support as a senator for the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, which requires Washington to supply Taiwan with arms. More recently he has shown his support for Taiwan in other ways, having his choice for Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, for example, to speak this month with Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the United States. United.

“He will continue to support a peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues consistent with the wishes and best interests of the people of Taiwan,” an official for Biden’s transition team said in a statement. “He has long said that US support for Taiwan must remain strong, principled and bipartisan.”

Some Taiwanese politicians, including members of the opposition Kuomintang party, believe Mr. Biden’s more restrained approach could help ease tensions and prevent a military conflict between the United States and China.

“He is neither a reckless politician nor a person who wants to achieve something remarkable in a short time,” said Cheng Li-wun, a Kuomintang lawmaker.

Despite Mr. Biden’s calls for greater cooperation, Chinese leaders are wary of his leadership. They fear that he is trying to unite US allies in Europe and Asia to thwart Beijing’s global agenda, mainland analysts say, and that he will continue to seek closer ties with Taiwan.

“Taiwan’s basic policies, even during Biden’s tenure, will not see any upward change,” said Xin Qiang, an academic who studies US-China and Taiwan relations at Fudan University in Shanghai. “When it comes to both strategy and tactics, the continent is concerned about both Biden and Trump.”

Chinese authorities often accuse the United States of encouraging Taiwan to seek full independence, a move which Xi has repeatedly warned could be met by armed force. A growing sense of nationalism in China has fueled fears that the continent might react harshly if tensions escalate.

“I fear that one day the mainland will be forced to take action because of the Taiwan issue that will cause a crisis or even a military conflict between China and the United States,” said Professor Xin.

In his final weeks in office, Mr. Trump and his advisers appear to be keen to test China’s limits in Taiwan.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has stepped up his taunts at Beijing, saying in a recent interview that Taiwan is not part of China. His remarks sparked a furious reaction from Chinese officials, who said Taiwan was an inalienable part of China, denounced Pompeo and vowed to fight back.

Trump’s national security adviser Robert C. O’Brien is currently leading a visit to the region as part of an effort to reassure US allies, after Beijing this month signed an agreement trade with 14 countries in the region, a movement seen as a check to American power in the region. Mr O’Brien said in Manila on Monday that the United States would continue to support Taiwan and not cede its status as a Pacific power to China.

“We will fight for a free and open Indo-Pacific region with all of our partners,” O’Brien said on a conference call with reporters.

When he takes office in January, Biden will face growing friction and tough political choices, including questions over arms sales and economic investment. Taiwan has long urged US officials to sign a bilateral trade treaty, an idea Beijing opposes. President Tsai lifted a long-standing ban on U.S. imports of pork and beef in August, a move seen as an attempt to open the door to formal trade negotiations.

As the pandemic rages on, Taiwan is also seeking participation in international groups like the World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the World Health Organization, despite China’s objections.

Many residents of Taiwan say the island can only maintain its legitimacy on the world stage and deter an invasion from the mainland with the strong support of Mr Biden.

“Taiwan cannot face the might of China alone,” said You Ying-long, a former politician with the ruling Democratic Democratic Party. “We cannot fight China alone.”

Albee Zhang contributed to the research.

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