Written by Michael Thervil
Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) & United States President Joe Biden (right) Photo AP Press
Recently China initiated sanctions on 5 U.S. companies who engaged in a $300 million dollar arms sale to Taiwan last month (December 2023). This comes after Biden approved a $500 million arms package to Taiwan in August of 2023. Actions like these put people around the world in a position to ask: “What is America thinking?”. Considering every growing and escalation of tension in the South China Sea, and with America recognizing China's “One China Policy” on paper it makes both people around the world and Chinese president Xi Jing Ping wonder if America is attempting to sow the seeds of chaos and division in the region.
With American President Joe Biden signing off on a total $8 million dollar arms deal to Taiwan, it makes President Joe Biden look disingenuous and untrustworthy on the geopolitical stage. This is in lieu of both the American and Chinese presidents meeting for normalization talks in San Francisco last year which ended up with Biden referring to Xi Jinping as a “dictator”, more than once directly after the meeting.
China’s retaliatory sanctions now forbid any Chinese companies from doing business with the following 5 U.S. based companies who participated in arming Taiwan:
BAE Systems Land and Armaments
Alliant Techsystems Operations
AeroVironment
Viasat
Data Link Solutions
Although U.S. defense contractors don’t usually do business with China, the question is “Why do business with Taiwan in this manner?” A move like this is akin to China funding domestic terrorist groups in the U.S. So, it's easy to see how and why such an egregious deal like this can be seen as not only a provocation but as an attempt to meddle in the internal affairs of other countries.
According to the Pentagon: “The proposed sale will improve the recipient’s capability to meet current and future threats by enhancing operational readiness”. What future threats? Enhancing operational readiness against who? These are the two questions many people are asking. Outside of that the biggest question being asked is: “Does the Pentagon and the Biden Administration view China and Taiwan as two distinct countries? If so, then it would be safe for one to conclude that the Biden Administration doesn’t honor the one China Policy as it has proclaimed to in the past. And hence, should not be trusted by China or the international community for that manner.
By the Biden Administration shipping weapons to Taiwan against the wishes of China further places itself in a position to severely undermine itself while making it looks stupid on the world stage. It’s simply not a good look for not only the Military Industrial Complex in America which already has a bad rep, but it’s simply bad optics for the Biden Administration.
Comments