Taiwan’s application to join the UN was turned down once again. The world body said it was turned down because of the ‘one-china’ resolution of 1971. Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian did this to shore up electoral support what with elections coming up. Taiwan has applied several times before, with similar results.
Every time Taiwan applies to the UN, China makes threatening noises about the People’s army ready to overrun the island. But this response is tame stuff. China is giving Taiwan a long rope. It does not want to militarily occupy the country. Instead it is increasing trade with Taiwan so that sometime in the future a stage is reached when it cannot exist without Chinese economic ties.
Also China is arming itself heavily so that, in case the need arises, it can overwhelm Taiwan militarily quickly before the US can come to its ally’s aid. US, Taiwan’s leading ally, is bound by the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act to provide Taipei with defensive weapons to maintain a balance of power across the strait, given that China is thought to have about nine hundred missiles pointed at Taiwan. But Chinese strategists feel the US has lost the inclination to intervene militarily if it comes to the crunch.
Most observers feel that Taiwan’s unification with China is inevitable and will happen in 15-20 years. As a former Taiwanese leader said that it is wise to cook a frog in slow heat; it will not jump out of the vessel. China is doing just that.
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