Economist baffled by provocative Taiwan trip

The visit to China’s Taiwan region last week by the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, was “deeply misconceived and harmful”, and has undermined China’s trust in the policies of the US, a renowned economist says.

Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University in New York, criticized Pelosi’s visit that poses a great threat to SinoUS relations.

“She is foolish in making these statements and intemperate in her actions,” Sachs said. “Her Taiwan trip was very ill advised and harmful to all of the parties,” he said.

Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday night and left the next day. The trip makes her the highest US politician to visit the island in more than 25 years.

US President Joe Biden could have and should have countermanded Pelosi’s trip, Sachs said.

“As commander-in-chief Biden could simply have prevented the use of US military aircraft to fly Pelosi to Taiwan. The outcome would have been much better for all parties.”

Destabilizing the world

Pelosi’s visit demonstrated “an utter absence of leadership” by Biden, and “US foreign policy is adrift”, he said.

“The US government is trying to maintain US primacy in all regions of the world, but it lacks the effective means to do this. It should be aiming for cooperation rather than primacy.”

The result of the US’ desire for primacy is an aggressive attitude toward China, with the US hoping to contain or destabilize the country, Sachs said.

Pelosi’s trip fits into that aggressive framework, he said.

“America’s aggressive policy toward China is similarly destabilizing and not in the real US interest. The US should be aiming for cooperation with China.”

Sachs said he disagrees with Biden’s view that the great challenge of the world is “democracies versus autocracies”. The aggressive attitude of the US toward China, Russia, Iran and others has complicated the geopolitical situation, he said.

“It divides the world rather than uniting it for the common good. The great challenges of the world are peace, climate change, sustainable development, arms control and public health, and these all require global cooperation, not divisions.”

He suggested that the Biden administration should reestablish a foreign policy that is based on constructive diplomacy, including negotiations to end the military conflict in Ukraine and opening a dialogue with China to restore a balanced, constructive Sino-US relationship.

“He should understand that the current US approach is very dangerous and is destabilizing the global economy while unnerving countries all around the world. Of course, he should explain the need for global cooperation to the American people.”

Jeffrey Sachs