Tsai on a blind Hummer ride into the night

The United States has led the Taiwan administration of Tsai Ing-wen off the right track in handling the island’s ties with the Chinese mainland, Liu Kuangyu, a researcher of Taiwan studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, commented in his column for the Voice of China on Tuesday. Excerpts:

The Donald Trump administration is playing the “Taiwan” card so as to divert domestic attention overseas and relieve some of the pressure on it before the midterm elections.

But it is also part of its so-called Indo-Pacific Strategy. The US has transformed its “engagement-containment” approach toward China to a more aggressive one featuring political counterbalancing, regulatory restrictions, diplomatic containment, high economic pressure and military coercion.

Yet, the tensions have not escalated the confrontation between the US and China, because Washington is using a series of provocations to test Beijing’s bottom line and force China to make a response under stress, which can expand its space in negotiations with China on other issues.

The US regards Taiwan as a strategic chess piece on the board of East Asia. It is no guardian angel for others, which Tsai knows. But she still has to play up the US card, exaggerating the US’ role. The Trump administration is merely interested in extracting a “protection fee” from Taiwan in terms of arms deals and trade.

The Trump administration presses Taiwan to provide material returns and “political coordination” as payment for a seemingly “favorable” policy supporting Taiwan separatists. In fact, Taiwan people’s attitude to the US’ interference in the Straits is mixed and filled with ambivalence. Taiwan’s overreliance on the US makes it simply a policy tool of the White House.

Once the Trump administration reaches an agreement with the Chinese mainland, which is not impossible, the US will abandon Taiwan immediately.