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Editorial: Strengthening the Taiwan-US ‘partnership’ relationship | Apple Daily Taiwan

蘋果日報 2020/09/19 10:00


U.S. Under Secretary of State Keith Krach arrived in Taiwan yesterday for a compact three-day visit. In addition to attending a memorial service for the former president Lee Tung-hui, Krach is scheduled to meet Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen, President of the Executive Yuan Su Tseng-cha and Vice President of the Executive Yuan Shen Jong-chin, as well as Taiwanese businesspeople. As compared to the earlier visit in August of the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, the visit this time has stronger political implications. The theme of the talks can also focus more on the future direction of U.S.-Taiwan relations. Although there is no need to expect immediate results, it is worthy of deep observation and attention.
The Trump Administration is strengthening and deepening the bilateral relationship with Taiwan at unprecedented speed and efficiency towards nationalization. This is undoubtedly under the overall pattern of the Sino-U.S. confrontation. Regardless, at a time when in addition to the ill will of the “one country, two systems on Taiwan” policy openly declared by Beijing, the intimidation of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in the vicinity of the region and the threat of reunification by force, Taiwan welcomes the strengthening of relations at this time. The booster shot from the U.S. can help Taiwan to strengthen its defense capabilities, boost people’s morale, and shake off the cross-strait issues from the civil war between Kuomintang and Communist or the perception of China’s internal affairs. Becoming a regional security issue and a key to international politics can change the increasingly asymmetrical disadvantages between China and Taiwan in size and national power. Taiwan should no doubt cherish and make good use of the current situation.
Everybody knows that there is no free lunch in the world. This is particularly true for Taiwan, which has been isolated and neglected by the international community for many years and is now suddenly favored by the world’s superpower the U.S. Many people will inevitably feel that the free meal Taiwan is enjoying is no ordinary lunch but a banquet. This feast can help Taiwan resist Beijing’s threat of force and integrate into the U.S.-led international society. This is also an opportunity for Taiwan to develop into a mature nation. Therefore, Taiwan will certainly pay a price much greater than that required for a lunch.
Under such objective circumstances, Taiwan people can easily understand the importance of the U.S. to its nation, as well as the government policies, such as the hardship of opening up the import of U.S. lean pork and U.S. beef, and the need to purchase American weapons at outrageous prices. In addition to the role of supervising, the opposition party must have a vision of national security and the overall interests of the nation. Otherwise, if it blindly implements boycotts and restrictions, it will be difficult to be recognized by mainstream public opinion and even affect the original reasonable and necessary supervisory power.
All levels of society in Taiwan must know that for Taiwan’s national security and interest, the country must make sacrifices to win the support of the U.S., and the U.S.'s willingness to strengthen the bilateral relationship with Taiwan, too, comes from America’s own interests. Therefore, at a certain stage in certain areas, the two sides will inevitably face collisions and contradictions. The people of Taiwan should not have too many unrealistic expectations, and the government should make the necessary advances and retreats, while persevering the interests of Taiwan.
For example, an important reason why China and the U.S. have fallen out is that there is too great of a conflict in the two economies. The U.S. is dissatisfied with China “stealing” American employment opportunities, investment and intellectual property, and taking full advantage of the significant trade deficit, as well as threatening its leadership status in the world. Because Taiwan also has a large trade surplus with the U.S., if the U.S. considers that it has given Taiwan a great deal of support at a national security level, inevitably, its trade deficit with Taiwan will seem even more unfair and hard to swallow. In the future, regardless of whether it is a free trade agreement (FTA) or bilateral trade agreement (BTA) or under any other arrangement to sign an economic and trade agreement, the agreement will be marked by strong trade protectionism and “America comes first.” In the name of “fairness,” Taiwan will be asked to expand its procurement and investment in the U.S. which will have a significant chain of effect on Taiwan’s economy, industry, employment and trade with other countries. Taiwan must carefully assess, as early as possible, to what extent it can accept and endure, otherwise, it will be a serious national security problem of another level.
Taiwan should definitely look positively at the warming of Taiwan and the U.S. relations and try to continue to strengthen and consolidate this relationship. If the international situation changes in the future, Taiwan would have achieved by then a never before depth of security. However, while the government seizes the opportunity to vigorously develop the Taiwan-U.S. relations, it must also observe the current international situation. Taiwan obviously needs the U.S. and the U.S. also needs Taiwan. Even if the “partnership” relationship between the two countries is not on an equal footing, Taiwan should still make the best of it and highlight the importance and value of its “needed” status. After all, Taiwan has already paid many tangible and intangible prices, hence there is no need to be meek and subservient at crucial moments.
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