During his visit to China, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday said, “We do not support Taiwan independence. We remain opposed to any unilateral changes to the status quo by either side. We continue to expect the peaceful resolution of cross-state differences.”
With this statement, ambiguity over America’s Taiwan policy continues to persist hinting that the “One China” principle continues to have an upper hand in the global context.
However, Blinken raised U.S concerns about “the PRC’s provocative actions in the Taiwan Strait, as well as in the South and East China Seas.”
He further said, “On Taiwan, I reiterated the longstanding U.S. ‘one China’ policy. That policy has not changed. It’s guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the three Joint Communiqués, the Six Assurances. We do not support Taiwan independence.”
“We remain opposed to any unilateral changes to the status quo by either side. We continue to expect the peaceful resolution of cross-strait differences. We remain committed to meeting our responsibilities under the Taiwan Relations Act, including making sure that Taiwan has the ability to defend itself”, he further said.
Blinken made the statement at the US embassy in Beijing during his two-day visit. Both countries agreed to ‘stabilise ties’ following a lengthy spell of tensions over a slew of issues. However, the visit failed to yield a significant breakthrough.
What is the US policy on the China-Taiwan situation?
US, China, and Taiwan relations are hanging by a thread that can snap even over the most trivial issues; especially taking into account China’s unpredictable aggression.
The bedrock on which this relation is surviving is the “One China policy” of the United States running parallel to the “One China principle” of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
Under the “One China principle”, the People’s Republic of China holds the position that there is only one sovereign state of China that is the PRC, and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. This is to strike down Taiwan’s identification as the Republic of China (ROC).
Meanwhile the United States’ “One China policy” recognises the PRC as the “sole legal govt of China” and merely acknowledges Taiwan sans its consideration as a separate sovereign entity; recognises and acknowledges being the operative words.
Under this policy, the US does not recognise Chinese sovereignty over Taiwan while also not recognising Taiwan as a sovereign state. It does however “acknowledge” Taiwan as “part” of China.
The Taiwan Relations Act, 1979
The Taiwan Relations Act, of 1979, was introduced in a bid to protect America’s security and commercial interests in Taiwan. It provides the framework for unofficial relations in the absence of diplomatic ties.
The everyday operations between the US and Taiwan are conducted through the American Institution in Taiwan (AIT) and its counterpart, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO).
The Act also provides defense and security protection to Taiwan and to US interests in Taiwan. It mandates the US to provide defensive arms to Taiwan and “maintain the capacity to resist any resort to force that would jeopardise the security of the people of Taiwan.”
The Six Assurances
The assurances resulted from the U.S-China communique signed on 17 August 1982, in which America stated that “it does not seek to carry out a long-term policy of arms sales to Taiwan”; “that its arms sales to Taiwan will not exceed, either in qualitative or in quantitative terms, the level of those supplied in recent years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and China”; and “that it intends to reduce gradually its sales of arms to Taiwan, leading over a period of time to a final resolution.”
The assurances by the U.S are as follows:
- US had not agreed to set a date for ending arms sales to the Republic of China.
- US had not agreed to hold prior consultations with the PRC regarding arms sales to the Republic of China.
- US would not play a mediation role between the PRC and the Republic of China.
- US would not revise the Taiwan Relations Act.
- US had not altered its position regarding sovereignty over Taiwan.
- US would not exert pressure on the Republic of China to enter into negotiations with the PRC.
So has the Biden administration broken protocol on the Taiwan issue in the past?
Biden and his administration’s seemingly absolute tone on Taiwan has angered China on several occasions. This has put US diplomats in a difficult position as Biden’s statements (on Taiwan) have often been viewed by experts as breaching the long-held US policy of “strategic ambiguity”.
On 23 May 2022, US President Joe Biden said that the US would intervene militarily if China uses force against Taiwan. His statement came amid growing US-China tensions over Taiwan at the time.
Another controversy erupted in August last year which posed a potential risk to US and China relations and in turn to Taiwan. Reports of the then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan vexed Beijing. What raised eyebrows however was Biden’s statement on the same.
“The military thinks it’s not a good idea right now,” he said. To this Pelosi replied, “I think what the President was saying is that maybe the military was afraid of my plane getting shot down or something like that. I don’t know exactly.”
Again in September 2022, when the 80-year-old US President was asked by the media “whether the US forces would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion.” He replied with a “yes”.
In July 2022, amid growing tensions between US and China over the Taiwan issue, Biden in a telephonic conversation with Chinese Premier Xi Jinping underscored that “the United States policy has not changed and that the United States strongly opposes unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
What is the US policy of strategic ambiguity?
The long-standing US policy of “strategic ambiguity” has been formulated to prevent giving away information on the extent of its support to Taiwan. According to political scientist Raymond Kuo, the idea is to “keep all parties guessing whether, and to what extent, the U.S. military will intervene in a war across the Taiwan Strait.”
The policy, experts say, deters China from invading Taiwan and prevents Taiwan from declaring independence.
While this explains the dual tone of statements by the US administration on Taiwan, the fact remains that China’s “One China principle” does have an upper hand.
Where does India stand on the issue?
India in recent years has slowly stepped away from the “One China policy” with a clear message to Beijing that it is subject to conditions.
In August 2022, when asked about India’s stand on the policy, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi responded, “India’s relevant policies are well known and consistent. They do not require reiteration.”
Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar in a no holds barred statement recently said that “India-China relations can’t be normal if peace and tranquility in border areas is disturbed.”
In 2014, the then EAM Sushma Swaraj took a tough stand against the One China policy. She reminded her counterpart to heed the “One India policy” first.
India currently enjoys unofficial yet close relations with Taiwan.