The relationships between China y Taiwan they are a source of recurring tensions between Washington and Beijing. The latest episode in this confrontation is the visit of the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosito Taipei. China considers this trip a provocation, while for the US it is a show of “solid support”. What is expected of this visit? RPP Noticias consulted with specialists about this diplomatic incident.
Norbert Barrett, professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP) and doctor in United States History, considered that the relationship between the United States and China has become complicated in recent years. He considered that the relationship between the two countries has not changed substantially, despite the fact that a new president entered the United States, Joe Biden.
On October 1, 1949, Communist leader Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China in Beijing. China, after defeating the nationalists in the four-year civil war that broke out after World War II.
Nationalist troops led by Chiang Kai-shek retreat to Taiwan and on December 7 they form a government, which they consider to be the continuation of the Republic of China founded after the fall of the Empire in 1911.
political tension
“China He has not given up on recovering that territory. USA has been the protective guarantor of said territory. The Chinese do not see it with good eyes. They have not given up on getting it back. If tomorrow the Chinese decide to follow the example of the Russians and say that ‘Taiwan has always been part of Chinawe are going to recover a territory that has always been ours, a nuclear war could be unleashed”, considered Barreto.
The internationalist stated that this was not the time for this visit, although he also considered whether the US could have been perceived as a sign of weakness. “The Chinese may see it as a provocation, but in turn, the US could claim that Taiwan it is a sovereign country, with which it maintains a long-standing friendly relationship,” he said.
Barreto also said that the world is in a process of transition in which there is a dominant power of the 20th century, the United States, but that it is going through a process of “impersonation”, which would be China.
“Historically, when these processes have taken place, they have rarely taken place peacefully. That would make us think that there would eventually be a conflict between China and the United States. Hopefully it doesn’t happen,” he said.
“We live in dangerous, tense times, because there is a change in the international order. Russia is seeking to define a position of greater influence. The US is seeking not to lose its position of dominance, the Chinese are rising and seeking space and influence alongside their economic and military might,” she added.
Economic aspects
For its part, Charles Aquinoan economist specializing in Asia-Pacific, stated that the relationship between China y EU It is very strong in commercial terms. “A year, the US buys 500 thousand dollars from China. The US has a large trade deficit, it buys more from China than it sells to it. […] Trump said that this large trade deficit is because China closes its market, it does not allow US products to enter its country and rather a lot of what China exports is due to the fact that those Chinese products are cheap because the government subsidizes their companies. It is a very big relationship, but where the US is not happy, ”he explained.
Another aspect of the trade arena is that the US is one of the big investors in China. “In the beginning they went to take advantage of cheap labor. The companies were going to assemble products, but now they are for the large Chinese domestic market. China has a growing middle class,” Aquino said.
The economist also stated that China is the main trading partner of Taiwan, despite this complicated relationship that both countries have. “Most of what Taiwan buys from the world, 30% comes from China. China is also a big market for Taiwan’s exports. There are many Taiwanese companies in China. The biggest one is TOPCon,” he said.
The economic impact of these political impasses between the powers could occur. The economist said China has imposed economic sanctions on Taiwan. Last year alone, Taiwan exported nearly $800 million worth of fruit and other food products, but after the sanctions, the import was banned.
“The problem is that Taiwan produces many parts that are shipped to China for assembly. If this escalates, China’s sanctions on Taiwan begin to rise and Taiwan does something similar. The world at large could be impacted,” he said.
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