Impakter
  • News
    • Culture
      • Art
      • Cinema
      • Entertainment
      • Literature
      • Music
      • Photography
    • Style
      • Architecture
      • Design
      • Fashion
      • Foodscape
      • Lifestyle
    • Society
      • Business
      • Foreign Affairs & Politics
      • Health
      • Tech
      • Science
      • Start-up
    • Impact
      • Environment
      • Eco Life
      • Circular Economy
      • COP26
      • CityLife
        • Copenhagen
        • San Francisco
        • Seattle
        • Sydney
      • Sustainability Series
        • SDGs Series
        • Shape Your Future
        • 2030: Dream or Reality
      • Philanthropy
        • United Nations
        • NGO & Charities
        • Essays
  • Business Hub
  • Sustainability Index
  • Partners
  • About
    • Team
    • Contributors
    • Global Leaders
    • Write for Impakter
      • Republishing Content
      • Permissions and Copyright
      • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Culture
      • Art
      • Cinema
      • Entertainment
      • Literature
      • Music
      • Photography
    • Style
      • Architecture
      • Design
      • Fashion
      • Foodscape
      • Lifestyle
    • Society
      • Business
      • Foreign Affairs & Politics
      • Health
      • Tech
      • Science
      • Start-up
    • Impact
      • Environment
      • Eco Life
      • Circular Economy
      • COP26
      • CityLife
        • Copenhagen
        • San Francisco
        • Seattle
        • Sydney
      • Sustainability Series
        • SDGs Series
        • Shape Your Future
        • 2030: Dream or Reality
      • Philanthropy
        • United Nations
        • NGO & Charities
        • Essays
  • Business Hub
  • Sustainability Index
  • Partners
  • About
    • Team
    • Contributors
    • Global Leaders
    • Write for Impakter
      • Republishing Content
      • Permissions and Copyright
      • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
Impakter
No Result
View All Result
Home Society Politics & Foreign Affairs

Tensions Heighten Between China and Taiwan, as Military Operations Increase

Is China gearing up for a war with Taiwan? Should the West intervene? And what role for the United States?

byCharles Kershaw
October 14, 2021
in Politics & Foreign Affairs, Society
China Taiwan
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

China-Taiwan tensions are the “worst in 40 years”, according to Taiwan’s defence minister, Chiu Kuo-cheng. Now many are concerned that these tensions could reach the point of military action.

Tensions have certainly increased over the past month, as a record number of Chinese warplanes flew through Taiwan’s air defence zone. This air defence zone is an area around Taiwan that it monitors for military threats, which includes the strait between China and Taiwan, and a significant part of China itself. 

On Saturday, President Xi Jinping vowed there would be a “peaceful reunification” of China into Taiwan, while Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen responded by saying that the “Taiwanese people will not bow to pressure”. The Taiwanese government is looking to bolster their military to help fight against any potential invasion.

Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping has vowed to follow China’s “One China” policy and reunify Taiwan with the mainland. Photo Credit: Пресс-служба Президента России via Wikimedia Commons

A brief history of China-Taiwan relations

For more than 70 years, Taiwan has refused to agree to China’s demands for reunification. After the Chinese Communist Revolution of 1949, Taiwan broke away from the Chinese communists, the defeated Nationalist government fleeing to the island. It now has its own government – a liberal democracy – and a military force with the task to ward off threats of invasion from China.


Related Articles: US – China: Risk of Conflict in the South China Sea? | Rising China vs. Dominant America: How Likely is a War? | Can China’s Rise To Power Be Peaceful? Here Is What Political Theories Tell Us

But recognising Taiwan as a country is still something that comes with serious political and diplomatic ramifications. The United Nations recognises Taiwan as part of China, and few countries grant it “country status”.

Despite hostilities, China is still Taiwan’s largest trading partner. Taiwan is a highly developed economy, and has a GDP per capita higher than Germany.

Taiwan looks to the United States for military support, the U.S. being the main provider of arms to the island. China has criticised the U.S. for this on repeated occasions.

Why have tensions increased recently?

China has viewed the South China seas as its own “backyard” for a long time and military operations have sharply increased over the recent year, and in October have reached a boiling point.

In August, in response to the U.S. sending a warship through the Taiwan strait, China launched a series of air and naval drills in the seas to the southwest of Taiwan. This was one of the largest mock invasions in the region ever to take place, China attempting to show its ability to reunify by force if necessary.

#USSBarry​ conducted a routine #TaiwanStrait transit Sept. 17 (local time Taiwan) through international waters in accordance with international law.#FreeandOpenIndoPacific #US7thFleet @USNavy

Read more here. https://t.co/EUEcggJKkp

— 7th Fleet (@US7thFleet) September 17, 2021

 

The looming threat of war – or is it just sabre rattling?

It’s fair to say that if a war did take place, China has a much higher chance of winning. Its recently modernised military would outnumber Taiwan’s, assuming the island did not receive additional support.

However, it’s far from a certainty that a war, or any fighting for that matter, will actually take place. Tensions could be higher than they are, and an invasion would still be a difficult and economically (as well as politically) costly task.

War would not be a good option to resolve the tensions, nor would reunification with the mainland. Taiwan has a long history of self-government, and to deny them that would be denying them their own right to self-determination. But a war that draws major powers into the conflict would necessarily have a massive political fallout.

China aircraft carrier
China has recently increased its military power in the region. Photo Credit: rhk111

While China deserves a lot of the blame for the increasing tensions, the U.S is not blameless. The country has maintained a massive presence in the South China Sea, with an unprecedented level of activity this year. This is without even mentioning the number of military bases the U.S. has in the Asia Pacific region. 

Both superpowers threaten to start a proxy war in order to defend their own interests, whether they be nationalist or economic.

A cold war between the US and China would be awful, but a hot one even worse. Having the two largest powers fight each other, at a time when it is vital to collaborate to fight the climate crisis, would be absolutely catastrophic. It is in every sides’ best interest that these tensions be resolved sooner rather than later.


Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by Impakter.com columnists are their own, not those of Impakter.com. — In the Featured Photo: Aircraft carriers belonging to the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Featured Photo Credit: U.S. Pacific Fleet.

Tags: GeopoliticsInternational AffairsOne China PolicySouth China Sea
Previous Post

G20 Leaders Endorse Global Corporate Tax Reform Deal

Next Post

New IMF Territory: COVID-19 and Climate Change

Charles Kershaw

Charles Kershaw

Charles Kershaw is an editorial intern at Impakter from Surrey, UK. He is a recent graduate in International Journalism from City University, in London. He has written many articles for local and student papers, and hopes to pursue a career in journalism. He enjoys writing about environmental issues and international affairs. When he is not writing he enjoys mountain biking, rock climbing and walking his two dogs.

Related Posts

An image of green space in a 15-minute city, the urban planning idea around which a conspiracy has grown
Architecture

The 15-Minute City: How Did a Convenient Concept Become So Controversial?

March 21, 2023
Ukraine reconstruction women
Equal Rights

Including Women in Sustainable Reconstruction in Ukraine

March 21, 2023
IPCC report
Climate Change

UN IPCC: Leaders Urged to Heed Science and Act Now to Avert Climate Catastrophe

March 20, 2023
Next Post
New IMF Territory: COVID-19 and Climate Change

New IMF Territory: COVID-19 and Climate Change

Recent News

Indigenous Languages and Ecocide: The Legacy of Western Colonialism Re-examined

Indigenous Languages and Ecocide: The Legacy of Western Colonialism Re-examined

March 21, 2023
An image of green space in a 15-minute city, the urban planning idea around which a conspiracy has grown

The 15-Minute City: How Did a Convenient Concept Become So Controversial?

March 21, 2023
Ukraine reconstruction women

Including Women in Sustainable Reconstruction in Ukraine

March 21, 2023
impakter-logo-light

Impakter informs you through the eco news site and empowers your sustainable lifestyle with its eco products marketplace.

Visit here IMPAKTER ECO for your eco products needs.

Registered Office Address

32 Lots Road, London
SW10 0QJ, United Kingdom


IMPAKTER Limited

Company number: 10806931

Impakter is a publication that is identified by the following International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) is the following 2515-9569 (Printed) and 2515-9577 (online – Website).


Office Hours - Monday to Friday

9.30am - 5.00pm CEST


Email

stories [at] impakter.com

About Us

  • Team
  • Contributors
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Partners

By Audience

  • Lifestyle
  • Green Finance
  • Culture
  • Society
  • Style
  • Impact

Impakter Platforms

  • Media
  • Index

© 2023 IMPAKTER. All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Culture
    • Style
    • Society
    • Impact
  • Business Hub
  • Sustainability Index
  • About
    • Team
    • Partners
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy

© 2023 IMPAKTER. All rights reserved.

Impakter.com uses cookies to enhance your experience when visiting the website and to serve you with advertisements that might interest you. By continuing to use this site, you agree to our use of cookies. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.