A China affairs expert lists China’s options to respond to the new US decision, which included the military option.
Details of the new trade agreement
On Thursday, Washington announced it would sign a historic trade deal with the island of Taiwan. The Taipei Trade Negotiations Office said the first set of such deals have been prepared under the “US-Taiwan 21st Century Trade Initiative” and will be signed in Washington. The agreement helps to increase trade between Washington and Taipei, coordinating customs controls and regulatory procedures and establishing anti-corruption measures. For Taiwan, this trade agreement is the “most comprehensive” signed with the United States since 1979, while linking the two countries as an investment “framework” since 1994.
China regards the island of Taiwan as one of its provinces, and rejects any direct foreign relations with it, and accuses any country that violates it of violating the principle of “one China”, of being hostile to Beijing , and notably accuses Washington of supporting “separatists” on the island.
How will China react?
A Chinese affairs expert and member of the Asian Affairs Committee of the Egyptian Foreign Affairs Council, Diaa Helmy, discusses several avenues for the Chinese response, especially since Beijing will not give up the “one China” principle:
This will exert economic, trade and industrial pressure on Taiwan. If America intervenes by supporting Taiwan militarily, or incursions into the South China Sea, or near the island of Taiwan, China will also respond militarily, and Washington will be treated on a reciprocal basis, as has been produced when an American aircraft provocatively overran Chinese skies, and immediately attacked a Chinese aircraft in an attack position.
According to Helmi, Washington “wants to involve China in a war to destroy its economy and development, sacrificing the people of Taiwan and the country’s economy to achieve this.”
Officially on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a press briefing that the United States “should not send the wrong signals to Taiwanese independence forces in the name of trade.”
charge of “provocation”
This week was marked by an exchange of accusations between Washington and Beijing that each was taking “provocative” steps towards the other.
On Thursday, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told reporters during a visit to Tokyo that he “regrets” his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu’s refusal to meet with him this week, predicting an accident that “could quickly spiral out of control. “after the Chinese fighter jets. What he described as “provocative interceptions” of a US military reconnaissance aircraft over the South China Sea.
For its part, Beijing was content to say through its spokesperson that “the United States clearly knows the reason for the current difficulties in military communication”.
Earlier, the Chinese Foreign Ministry denounced what it called “provocative and dangerous maneuvers” by the United States, which it considered “a source of problems for maritime security”.
The US military had announced that “a Chinese pilot flying a J-16 fighter performed an unnecessary aggressive maneuver while intercepting a US Air Force RC-135 on May 26” operating over the sea from southern China.
She added: “The Chinese pilot flew directly in front of the American aircraft, forcing it into turbulence.”
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