May 28, 2019

Andrew Campbell 

Taiwan’s national security chief David Lee met John Bolton, the White House national security adviser, during his May 13-21 visit to the US earlier this month, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on May 25th. Taiwan’s official Central News Agency said the meeting was the first since Taiwan and the United States ended formal diplomatic ties in 1979.  

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Lu Kang declares, “China is extremely dissatisfied and resolutely opposed to this.” He adds China is against any form of official exchanges between the US and Taiwan. The meeting between Taiwan and the US angers Beijing, already having a fierce trade war with Washington. China considers Taiwan a disobedient province, threatening to reclaim the territory by force if necessary. 

In opposition to China, the US has increased the frequent patrols through the strategic Taiwan Strait in recent months. Diplomatic tension between the US and China has risen in recent weeks amid an increasing trade war and China’s sturdy military posture in the South China Sea. 

The Pentagon says the US has sold Taiwan more than $15 billion of arms since 2010. Beijing calls Taiwan the most sensitive and important issue in its relations with the US, which has no formal ties with Taiwan but is the island’s source of arms. 

China has been ramping up military and diplomatic pressure to assert its sovereignty over the island, conducting military drills near Taiwan and snatching its few diplomatic allies.

The unusual meeting is viewed by Taiwan’s government as a sign of support from the Trump administration. However, tension has also risen between Taiwan and Beijing, which considers the democratically ruled Taiwan as a part of “one China”.

Photo:Webshot.