News from the White House, President Trump has signed the Taiwan Travel Act, local time from March 16 "effective."
What is the Taiwan Travel Act? To put it bluntly, it believes that US policy should allow US officials at all levels to visit Taiwan, allow high-ranking Taiwanese officials to come down to the United States under "respected conditions," and meet with senior officials of the US Department of Defense and the State Department, including the US Department of Defense and the State Department. And encourage Taiwan economic and cultural representatives in the United States to start business in the United States.
In the past, there was the National Defense Authorization Act, followed by the Taiwan Travel Law, and it was linked to the many recent interactions between China and the United States. What is this really about?.
(photo source: chivalrous Island)
details
Let's start with a few details of the signature.
According to a statement issued by the White House press spokesperson's office on the afternoon of the 16th, Trump signed five bills on the same day, including the bill. In other words, the bill is not signed separately, but is packaged. In the view of Uncle Island, this is somewhat to avoid excessive eye-catching and stimulate China's consideration.
According to the United States legislation procedure, the President signed a bill passed by Congress before becoming law. If the president veto, Congress can pass by a 2/3 majority, the bill will automatically become law; if the president neither sign nor veto, the bill will automatically enter into force after 10 working days in Congress. In this case, Trump did not use the veto, nor did he like to see it come into force, but to sign it on his own initiative. This is also a statement.
The Taiwan Travel Act expresses the willingness of the United States Congress to support high-level exchanges between the United States and Taiwan. Although it is a legislation rather than a resolution, it does not require the executive branch to enforce it. As a result, the law, which authorizes the administration, is more symbolic than substantive.
In fact, in the past years, although the United States officials have self-restraint on high-level exchanges between the United States and Taiwan, there are still high-level visits from time to time. What people are concerned about now is, under the Taiwan Travel Act, will senior officials such as the US Defense Director, the Secretary of State and so on go to Taipei and whether the Taiwan leaders will go to Washington? The test ahead is what level of U. S. officials will participate in the inauguration of the new office building in the Taipei office of the American Association in Taiwan in June?
If the pace is too big, it will undoubtedly break the US government's previous promise on Taiwan-related issues and open Pandora's box, causing strong dissatisfaction on the Chinese side.
A spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly stated that although the relevant provisions of the above-mentioned motions are not legally binding, they are seriously violating the one-China principle and the three Sino-US joint communiques. If implemented, they will seriously interfere with Sino-US relations and the situation across the Taiwan Straits. .
(photo source: chivalrous Island)
[经] call
After the bill was signed, it brought new test and challenge to Sino-US relations.
As some experts have pointed out, at a time when the United States regards China as a major strategic competitor and is about to introduce a package of economic and trade measures to China, the Taiwan Travel Law will indeed add new variables to US-China relations. To become another tool for the United States to contain China.
From Trump's point of view, he claimed to impose trade sanctions on China before he took office. When he came to power, he acted frequently on Taiwan-related issues, talked to Tsai ing-wen on the phone, and criticized the "one China" principle. This kind of businessman ruling the state-style price urge, runs through his governing the government idea, will not stop. In a word, trying to make a big deal. In his eyes, Taiwan is nothing more than a chip.
From the perspective of US-Taiwan relations, Taiwan has long been deeply involved in the US Congress. There are many so-called "friends and Taiwan" members in the US Congress. After the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States in 1979, the official exchanges between the United States and Taiwan were limited, but Taiwan has never given up the work of the US government and the Congress. Lee Teng-hui ' s visit to the United States in 1995 was Taiwan ' s "masterpiece." During the Ma Ying-jeou period, cross-strait relations eased and the mainland ' s leaders in Taiwan visited the United States to show a tolerant attitude.
After Tsai took office, the Cross-Strait Relations was nervous and the mainland took a series of restrictions and squeeze measures against the TW, and Cai government's motivation to seek help from the United States was highlighted. A while ago, Zitai authorities let Wu Zhao-Xie, who was deeply cultivated in the United States, become a diplomatic minister, for example. Against this background, the TW Travel Act was passed without objection by the U.S. Senate of Congress on Feb. 28.
It can be seen that there are two reasons for the passage of the Taiwan Brigade Law: first, the US Congress and some forces have suppressed the rapid development and outward expansion of the mainland over the past few years, and the Taiwan Brigade Act and the National Defense Authorization Act are only means of suppression. Second, Taiwan's initiative in the face of pressure from the mainland. Both can be a beat, is a very bad sign.
Some say Trump has fulfilled most of his pre-election commitments since he took office, but there has been no concrete action on sanctions against China, mainly because he hopes to get China's help on the North Korean nuclear issue. Now, the North Korean nuclear signs of easing, China and the United States on trade issues again tense. If Sino-US relations tend to be confrontational, Trump could use the law to invite senior Taiwan officials to visit the United States, creating difficulties for the mainland.
The game around Taiwan-related issues is one of the links in the Sino-US game.
dual tactics
In the end, the Taiwan Travel Act and the Defense Authorization Act passed earlier, as well as hints at the sale of advanced weapons such as Taiwan's F-35 fighter planes, are just a few new cards for Trump to play with the Taiwan Strait. How to play, depends on the situation of the game. The United States only regards Taiwan as a chess piece against China. Once the crisis is triggered, Taiwan itself will undoubtedly be the hardest hit.
Sun Daqian, a former "legislator" of the Kuomintang, believes that the "Taiwan Travel Law" will have multiple effects on the "US-China-Taiwan relationship". First of all, Tsai Ing-wen will inevitably bear tremendous pressure from the mainland. Second, the United States will closely follow Taiwan. The ground is tied to the same chariot; third, Beijing is forced to respond specifically to this behavior; fourth, Taiwan will be forced to abandon the "creative ambiguity" of the umbrella that has existed in the Taiwan Strait for the past half century.
Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, clearly stated that he would advise the Taiwan side not to succumb to the weight of the ocean, so as not to ignite the fire. After all, the US side has rudely undermined the political foundation of Sino-US relations and issued a false signal to the "Taiwan independence" forces, which is bound to fuel the "Taiwan independence" forces.
The mainland National CPPCC Conference, which closed on the 15th, issued a political resolution stressing the need to adhere to the "one China" principle.
In uncle island's view, no matter how the situation changes, the mainland will continue to insist on hard and soft hands. On the one hand, the continuous implementation of Huitai 31, on the other hand, but also prepared in advance. Imagine, once the United States ship berth, Tsai Ying-wen official visit to the United States, "demolition of houses to destroy the field," then no one can guarantee that not "martial arts."
In fact, whether the mainland has an "Utopia" against Taiwan depends on many factors, most of which are "Taiwan independence." Whether the external forces touch the red line of "Wu Tong", and this is not the unilateral decision of the mainland. The "Anti-Secession Law" of the mainland proposes that "the non-peaceful means" can deal with the Taiwan issue in three situations, including the fact that the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces have caused Taiwan to split from China in any way, which will lead to Taiwan from China. The major events that have been divided, or the conditions for peaceful reunification, have been completely lost.
These three cases are facts that any party involved in Taiwan has to consider. (Wen / Dong Lu Qiu bearded)