Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan sparks outrage at the Chinese government

The visit to Taiwan by Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, lasted only 24 hours.

But it highlighted the brutal reaction of China, in particular the continuation of military exercises around Taiwan a few days after its departure, and shows to what extent the Taiwan Strait represents a geopolitical fault line between China and the rest of the world.

At its narrowest point, the Taiwan Strait is a 130 kilometer wide water channel that separates the People’s Republic of China from the island of Taiwan.

But the gap between Taiwan and China is more than geographic. For more than half a century, the Detroit remains one of the last remnants of the Cold War. He is the symbol of the division between the authoritarianism of China and the flourishing democracy of Taiwan.

Nevertheless, Taiwan is also something of an international pariah. Indeed, few countries have official diplomatic ties with this state, often out of fear of repercussions from the Chinese government. For too long the so-called “one China” policywhich states that there is only one China in the world, and that Taiwan is one of them, has been the basis of all relations with this country.

However, while China requires all countries to adhere to this policy, United Statesthe UKl’European Union and also the Canada merely “acknowledge” this policy.

Much to China’s chagrin, many countries maintain economic, cultural and even military ties with Taiwan. In Beijing’s eyes, Ms Pelosi’s visit amounts to ” play with fire “.

China’s routine visit and overreaction

China’s instant reaction to Ms. Pelosi’s visit was conduct military exercises and launch ballistic missiles over Taiwan. However, visits by foreign legislators are common.

The President of the Czech Senate led a delegation to Taiwan in August 2020; China reacted by declaring that the Czech leaders “would pay a heavy price”. The Vice-President of the European Parliament also visited Taiwan in July 2022and underlined the “role of the island as an international, strategic, responsible and trustworthy partner”.

Yet Ms Pelosi is the only person to have been personally sanctioned by China, sparking speculation that China’s reaction was misogynistic.

Taiwan’s democratically elected president Tsai Ing-Wen, herself a woman, made the magazine’s 2020 list of the world’s most influential people Time for standing up to China’s constant and overt aggression.

International community response to the crisis

In retaliation for Ms. Pelosi’s visit, China also suspended climate talks and military ties with the United Statesfurther heightening tensions and suggesting that the country is not taking climate action very seriously.

The European Union foreign minister called on China not to “use this visit as a pretext for aggressive military activity in the Taiwan Strait”. Japan has declared that these military exercises will have “a serious impact on the peace and stability of our region and the international community,” while G7 foreign ministers condemned the “threatening actions…especially live-fire exercises and economic coercion, which risk leading to unnecessary escalation”.

With the ongoing military exercisesChina seems to want to demonstrate its ability to establish a blockade of taiwan.

Or, le Taiwan strait is one of the busiest international sea lanes in the world. Additionally, some of the busiest commercial airlines in the world cross the airspace surrounding the country.

Not surprisingly, Taiwan being a major trading nation that produces more than 50% of the world’s semiconductors, which provide the computing power of modern electronic devices and support the global economy. A Chinese blockade or invasion of Taiwan would cause huge upheaval for the rest of the world.

Crucial area of ​​international waters

Earlier in June, China said it had “sovereignty, sovereign rights and authority over the Taiwan Strait”a claim that has been refuted by the United States as a violation of international law.

China also claims sovereignty over disputed islands in the South China Sea, a claim that the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled without legal basis.

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea clearly stipulates that the high seas are not subject to sovereignty claims and that all states enjoy the freedoms of navigation and overflight. Canada and other countries regularly send warships to the Taiwan Strait in order to counter China’s attempt to take control of this international body of water.

China’s deliberate ballistic missile tests and exercises, in violation of international law, not only impact territorial sea of ​​Taiwanbut also impinge on the japan exclusive economic zone.

China’s overreaction to what it claims to be a purely domestic issue therefore ironically turns the conflict over Taiwan into an international crisis.

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A thought for the people of Taiwan

In the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs wrote: “The people of Taiwan unfortunately know all too well what it is to live in the shadow of threats and intimidation”.

Before Taiwan became a democracy, an oppressive military dictatorship ruled there. Why 23.5 million people made up of Taiwanese, Chinese and 15 indigenous Pacific Islander tribes who lives in what Ms Pelosi called “one of the freest societies in the world” would they like to see each other, as China has claimed for decades, “liberated”?

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Despite the binding obligations of the Sino-British Joint Declarationl’erosion of civil liberties and judicial independence in Hong Kong shows that Beijing is not respecting its international commitments.

In addition, China has incarcerated more than a million Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in “re-education camps” and subjected them to what amounts to crimes against humanity.

The Chinese ambassador to France recently openly stated that the people of Taiwan will also be “re-educated “. It is hard to imagine why anyone would want to live under a regime where there is no political or media freedom and where the citizens and foreign nationals are subject to arbitrary detention.

Self-determination is the inalienable right of all peoples to live free from fear and oppression. As China and the United States clash in the Indo-Pacific region, it is essential that the world stand with the people of Taiwan. The international community must denounce acts of aggression that undermine regional and global peace and security.

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