The New Situation of US-China Cooperation: How Could Taiwan Remain Oblivious?

 The New Situation of US-China Cooperation: How Could Taiwan Remain Oblivious?

United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)

April 18, 2017

 Translation of an Except

As expected, North Korea, on the day following the "Sun Festival," test-fired a guided missile; unexpectedly, the missile exploded shortly after the launch. Regardless of whether the failure of the test-fire this time was "deliberate," this kind of ending at least allowed the United States, China, Japan and South Korea to heave a sigh of relief; however, the tense situation in Northeast Asia, in reality, has not dissipated as a result.

At an initial perusal, with regard to the failure of North Korea’s test-fire, the outside world was "pleased that it did not succeed," avoiding at least an immediate crisis. However, following the arrival of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson in the waters near the Korean Peninsula a couple of days ago, two other nuclear-powered aircraft carriers of the United States, the USS Ronald Reagan and the USS Nimitz, will also reach the Korean Peninsula. The concentration of three aircraft carrier strike groups in Northeast Asia is unprecedented. From this deployment, we can see the mindset of Trump, who is eager to resolve the North Korean question.

However, North Korea's provocative behavior is not expected to end with the failure of the test-fire this time, the reason being that cheap military threats such as test-firing missiles has always been North Korea’s principal means for raising the stakes for talks. Either before or after North Korea’s Army Day on the 25th of this month, North Korea might once again launch guided missiles. Trump a day or so ago indicated that, for the time being, he would not take military decapitation actions against North Korea, but rather use "maximum pressure" to continue to exert pressure on North Korea.

The United States’ "maximum pressure" policy is different from policies in the past, the greatest difference being that, besides taking superior military force to deter North Korea, the US will exert pressure on Mainland China through diplomacy, indirectly influencing North Korea by way of Beijing. Double pressures--the US engaging in military deterrents against North Korea and China engaging in an economic block against North Korea--will become the main axis of US policy toward North Korea from now on.

The North Korean question has unexpectedly allowed the United States and China to find a foundation for cooperation, making the bilateral relationship climb up from a low beginning, shaking off the tensions and unease when Trump just took office, thus becoming a new type of big power relationship of cooperation. We can thus see the changes and volatility of big power politics. After the Trump-Xi Summit, Taiwan at one time congratulated itself that we had not become a bargaining chip on the US-China negotiating table; however, faced with the formation of a new Sino-American relationship, how could the Tsai government not be on high alert?

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