Two Davids vs two Goliaths

THE EDITOR: When the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, made a widely ballyhooed visit to Taiwan, it is doubtful she did it as a lone wolf. As the third highest official in the US and a member of the ruling party, was America sending a powerful message to China that it is willing to do whatever it takes to protect the democratic island nation?

Most nations, including Trinidad and Tobago, recognise the One-China policy of one China, two systems, where mainland China remains socialist while Hong Kong and Taiwan are capitalistic entities. But Taiwan (officially the Republic of China – ROC) continues to defy the People’s Republic of China (PRC) by holding fast to its claim to be the sole representative of all of China. However, when the United Nations stopped recognising Taiwan and instead voted that the PRC is now the one and only China, Taiwan refused to accept that and is now in political conflict with the Chinese mainland.

Why would the US accept the One-China policy and yet vow to defend Taiwan against China if it dared to invade Taiwan? Will they do it the way they now support Ukraine, from a distance, or will the US go to a full-scale war against China? Clearly, the remote support of Ukraine is not working. And which side would TT support if, indeed, there was a military conflict?

US President Biden should declare that the One-China system is wrong when Taiwan proves it does not work. Instead of continuing with the cold war against China, the US needs to be frank and lay its cards on the table.

The world watches as the six-month-long conflict between Russia and Ukraine drags on; China looks at what the US and the rest of the world are doing to protect Ukraine from the giant neighbour on its doorstep. The similarities between Ukraine vs Russia and Taiwan vs China are remarkable – two Davids up against two Goliaths.

Suppose Russia succeeds and co-opts Ukraine despite condemnation from EU countries of the US and billions of dollars in military and humanitarian aid. If that happens, it will give China the impetus it needs to use its military might to easily defeat the thorn in its side since 1971, when the UN voted to recognise the PRC as the one and only China.

Is Pelosi the only high official in the US with the courage to stand up for the beleaguered ROC, or will Biden finally come out and declare that the One-China policy is delusional and hypocritical? They cannot sit on the sidelines and profess support for a system of bullying that goes against everything people of the free world fight to uphold.

Isn’t that why America broke away from the oppression of British rule? “The American republic was founded on a set of beliefs tested during the revolutionary war. Among them was the idea that all people are created equal, whether European, Native American, or African American, and that these people have fundamental rights, such as liberty, free speech, freedom of religion, due process of law, and freedom of assembly.”

TT cannot and should not pretend to be supportive of either Russia or China despite our policy of non-interference in the affairs of other nations. We must take the high ground and do what is morally right for our fellow democratic countries – standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the people of Ukraine and Taiwan. We can no longer sit on the fence and pretend that all is well with the world when evil rears its ugly head. Anything else is indefensible.

REX CHOOKOLINGO

via e-mail