A Reuters story today stretches the meaning of “One China” to new ends. China is actually asking the US to not allow travel through US territory for Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen. On the face of it, this is farce which not even the Chinese can be serious about. The US is not going to ban the head of a country it recognizes as independent because China thinks Taiwan still belongs to them - along with the entire piece of ocean called the South China Sea. This kind of imperialism went out with the end of the 1950s.
Yet, we shouldn’t ignore this kind of request and chalk it up to a misguided bureaucrat who slipped up in applying policy he might not understand.
The Chinese have not missed very many chances in the last 10 years to claim Taiwan as its own. Every step we concede in that war of words is a step too far. Previous US Presidents have allowed this kind of creep to surround and isolate Taiwan until is gradually becomes what China wants, part of the mainland. Few of these tirades are done in isolation. Tsai Ing-wen is making friends and allies. She strengthens her position and keeps China back. We have just added another aircraft carrier group to the Pacific as a sign that we are not going to have China taking over the trade routes in their economic war, a war that envisions retaking Taiwan and South Korea. They have pushed in both places at every opportunity, but they don’t get enough pushback from other countries. Japan is starting to, as is South Korea. The Philippines, Vietnam, and Indonesia need to join in.
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