Opinion | US-China relations: Pompeo’s bomb-throwing Taiwan shift leaves Biden in bind with Beijing
- By putting Taiwan’s status regarding the United States and China at the top of President-elect Joe Biden’s foreign policy agenda, he has introduced a serious roadblock to improved relations between the incoming administration and Beijing
No doubt he wanted to go out in glory, supporting those in the US Congress and US citizens who favour even stronger ties with Taiwan. Such a move, he hopes, will position him if he makes a run for the presidency in 2024. I am sure he also took great pleasure in poking China in the eye one more time on his way out the door.
But by putting Taiwan’s status regarding the United States and China at the top of President-elect Joe Biden’s foreign policy agenda, he has introduced a serious roadblock to improved relations between the incoming administration and the government in Beijing.
There are concerns he hoped to trigger a military confrontation with China, but the US is ill-prepared today for war with China because of the current crisis within the US body politic. President Donald Trump has abdicated the responsibilities of office except for trying to overturn the election he lost.
He has decimated his national security establishment, and communications between the outgoing Department of Defence officials and the incoming Biden team has been poor. In fact, the timing of this statement could not have been worse as it gives the People’s Liberation Army a reason to consider launching an attack on Taiwan precisely when the US is internally distracted and institutionally weak.
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Why has the relationship between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan taken a turn for the worse?
