China will not be bullied by a recalcitrant US

Etler, a former professor of Anthropology at Cabrillo College in Aptos, California, made the remarks after the US State Department approved the proposed sale to Taiwan of spare parts for military aircraft worth up to $330 million.

China on Tuesday strongly objected to the United States for approving proposed arms sales to Taiwan, warning that providing the self-ruled island with arms would breach Chinese sovereignty and do “severe damage” to bilateral relations with Washington.
The US Congress has 30 days to raise unlikely objections to the sale.

The deal, which covers parts for Taiwan’s F-16, C-130, F-5, Indigenous Defense Fighters, and other aircraft systems, was announced by US defense officials on Monday.

“The Trump administration is continuing the long tradition of US interference in China’s internal affairs that dates back to 19th century. The European powers intent on opening up the Chinese market to Western capital imposed a slew of unequal treaties on China after defeating it in a number of military engagements. The US took advantage of the situation and rode on the colonialists coat-tails demanding the same conditions, including extraterritoriality,” Professor Etler said.

“It was after WW2 and the defeat of the Chinese Nationalists by the Communists in the Civil War that US interference in Chinese affairs escalated. The US supported the Nationalists and after they retreated to the island province of Taiwan recognized their rump Republic of China as the sole legal government of all China. The People’s Republic of China which controlled the Chinese mainland was treated as a pariah state and embargoed,” he stated.

“It was only after its impending defeat in Vietnam that the US in 1972 begrudgingly recognized the PRC as the sole legitimate government of China. It insisted however on maintaining a diplomatic and military relationship with the de facto government of Taiwan, much to the chagrin of the PRC. This was codified in the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 which states that ‘the United States will make available to Taiwan such defense articles and defense services in such quantity as may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capabilities’. The nature and quantity of defense services that America provides to Taiwan is determined by the President and Congress,” he said.

“The policy of recognizing the PRC as the sole legitimate government of China while maintaining relations with Taiwan has been dubbed ‘strategic ambiguity.’ The US sees it as the foundation of its ‘one China policy’ while the PRC sees it as a direct intervention in its internal affairs. It is meant to dissuade Taiwan from unilaterally declaring independence and prevent the PRC from unilaterally unifying Taiwan by force of arms,” the analyst noted.  

“As a result of this policy the US has, on a regular basis, provided Taiwan with a variety of weapon systems and other military provisions. The current situation however must be seen in the context of escalating tensions between the US and China. US President Trump has on occasion called into doubt the One China Policy and the US Congress has made diplomatic overtures to Taiwan which go against the status quo of Sino-American relations. The designation of China by the US as a strategic competitor and rival, Trump’s imposition of massive tariffs against Chinese exports to the US, the aggressive stance of the US in the South China Sea and sanctions imposed by the US on the Chinese military for the purchase of Russian weapons have all contributed to heightened tensions between the two nations,” he said.

“Rather than seeking a modus vivendi with China the US is intent on attempting a full court press to pressure China to submit to its demands. But today’s China is not the China of old. China is not just a rising power, it has risen and will not be bullied and intimidated by the US or any other country. The days of foreign powers running roughshod over China are long since past. The US is on a fool’s errand if it thinks it can impose its will on a resurgent China,” the commentator concluded.