Consider this proposal for how Biden should deal with the China-Taiwan conflict | Opinion
Currently, the U.S. concedes Chinese sovereignty over Taiwan in it's “One-China” policy— which states that Taiwan is a part of China and that no force should be used to settle the dispute—while also committing to protecting and selling arms to Taiwan.
Despite this settlement, many Taiwanese officials and citizens remain displeased with the current situation of over-interference of mainland China with Taiwanese matters. On the other hand, China has remained displeased with Taiwan’s claims of independence and wishes to exert complete control over the territory by reclaiming it through military action in order to combine it with the mainland and become an unquestionable whole.
White House could be shifting the conflict onto the U.S.
At the CNN town hall on October 21, President Biden hinted that the USA would continue with military intervention and go as far as defending Taiwan if China were to attack.
This prompted an aggressive response from Chinese officials, who claimed they would neither concede nor compromise over the issue with Taiwan, and that Taiwan will remain an inalienable part of China’s territory. These tensions have continued to rise since then, as this situation has turned from a conflict between Taiwan and Beijing into a conflict between the US and China.
Instead of escalating this situation to a possible military conflict through his words, President Biden should be desperately searching for a possible agreement or accord that would satisfy both China and Taiwan, while simultaneously holding up the objective of halting China’s advance in territory within eastern Asia.
The main policy being debated on is Beijing’s continued intervention in Taiwan’s participation in the international stage. This question is whether this interference is affecting Taiwan’s economic world of imports and exports negatively.
In recent years, Taiwanese exports to China have been at a record-breaking high, which is caused partially by Beijing pressuring other countries not to sign free-trade agreements with Taiwan.
The Taiwan Ministry of Finance provided a graph that indicates that the amount of money being traded with China has tripled since 2004. China now makes up the largest share of Taiwan’s trade. More importantly, China has also advanced its military activity dangerously close to Taiwan— hinting at a possible conflict or possible invasion in the near future.
Biden administration must focus on conflict resolution
Complete secession from China and the official establishment of Taiwan as an independent nation would solve all of these issues, as the country would no longer be barred from trade partnerships or political unions.
Therefore, President Biden should collaborate with the ROC government to draft a possible treaty that would relinquish China’s claim on Taiwan in exchange for monetary gain. Promising China things like: military weaponry, significant trade agreements, or even lowering taxes and tariffs on Chinese imports to the U.S. as part of the contract could help seal the deal.
In return, China would no longer interfere with Taiwan’s participation in the global economy and the international system, nor would it assert military control over any territory of Taiwan.
Alternatively, the situation could be as simple as paying China a monumental amount of money to buy Taiwan’s independence. This has been proposed before in past conflicts, such as the Gadsden Purchase of 1854, when the U.S. paid Mexico $10 million for the territory of current-day New Mexico and Arizona.
Since all sides would be gaining something of great value, there would be no further need for conflict between Taiwan and Beijing. However, all we have seen so far from the President is provocatory action and a refusal to negotiate— which consequently portrays the U.S. as an aggressor from China’s stance.
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It all comes down to whether the U.S. is truly committed to supporting Taiwan or whether it simply wishes to delay China’s advances in the east for as long as possible. If such a codified agreement were to actually be drafted between Taiwan and China, the U.S. would need to play a great role in supplying a large portion of what’s being traded.
Regardless of what policy the U.S. decides to undertake in the near future, what is certain is that our nation will incur great costs as a consequence of supporting Taiwan against China’s interests.
Cihan Sahin is a student at Vanderbilt University majoring in political science.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How the U.S. should deal with the China-Taiwan conflict
