America and Taiwan: Why are so many members of Congress visiting Taipei?

 "What if we started sending official delegations to Honolulu to meet with secessionist leaders who want Hawaii's independence from the United States? What  if we started selling them guns?

 ” Although it may seem like a false equivalency, this is an argument often used by China's army of armchair warriors, who use social media to criticize visits to Taiwan by U.S. government officials, especially members of  Congress. China views autonomous Taiwan as a breakaway province that will eventually come under the control of the Chinese government, so for these social media users, such a visit constitutes an unacceptable provocation and interference in China's internal affairs. Of course, these visits are similar to those made this week by Congressman Mike Gallagher, chairman of the U.S. House China Committee, which states that China is independent from mainland China under its own democratically elected constitution. Washington and Taipei have completely different views. leaders. But  the question arises: what is their purpose? Are these genuine expressions of support to deter China, or are they just propaganda aimed at provoking China and solidifying the perception that  the United States seeks permanent separation from Taiwan?

Visits are not without consequences. How the United States deals with its relations with Beijing and Taipei will have a major impact on whether the current tense standoff in the Taiwan Strait continues or worsens. "We  reaffirm the United States' support for Taiwan and stand united in our shared commitment to democratic values,"  Congressman Ami Vera and Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart said at the end of their January visit. I came here  to make a statement." They made their first pilgrimage to Taipei after the January 13  presidential election. A month later, the aggressive Gallagher (who told the Guardian last year that the Chinese government wants to make us "subservient, humiliated and irrelevant on the world stage") arrived with a number of colleagues. They probably won't be the last. Since 2016, the number of US Congressional delegations crossing the Pacific has increased dramatically. For example, in 2018,  six members of parliament visited. According to a report from Global Taiwan, there were 32 visitors last year.

This trend is actively encouraged by Taiwan's current president, President Tsai Ing-wen, and the United States does not seem to be stopping it. In fact, President Joe Biden has been the most outspoken defender of Taiwan of any US leader to date, while adhering to the US's One China policy. What is the "One China" policy?  "It's important," said J. Michael Cole, a former Canadian intelligence officer and former adviser to President Tsai. “The United States continues to say it has a firm commitment to Taiwan. However, this exercise requires public components. This is what is shaking Beijing and what is making journalists write about it. ” And unlike the $80m (£63m) grant signed  by Mr Biden in November, these visits are meant to reassure Taiwanese that the US really means what they say. It's also a cost-effective way to provide peace of mind. "There are studies that show that high-level visits increase people's trust in the U.S.-Taiwan relationship," said Chen Fanyu, a political scientist at Dongwu University in Taipei. Such visits promote  friendly attitudes toward the United States among those who remain skeptical about whether the United States would actually show up if Taiwan were attacked by China, he explains. But there are other conspiracy theorists here, many  from across the Taiwan Strait,  just as conspiracy theorists say the Ukraine-Russia war was. The US is pushing Taipei towards war with China. On the other hand, American legislators and representatives have their own reasons for coming here, not necessarily altruistic ones. For the right, the Taipei pilgrimage has increasingly become a way  to hone its anti-China credentials with voters back home, but these days the left seems just as eager to prove its hardline stance on China.

Related Topics:

• China
• Tiwan
• US Congress
• China-US Relation's