2. Beijing’s response to Pelosi’s visit
● On the diplomatic front: Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi
condemned Pelosi’s visit as a violation of the "one China" policy, according to Chinese
state media CGTN. He told reporters on the sideline of an ASEAN meeting in Cambodia
that “those who offend China will be punished.”
● On the military front: China’s People’s Liberation Army conducted live-fire drills on six
swaths of sea surrounding Taiwan.
● On the economic front: It had suspended natural sand exports to Taiwan, and
suspends import of fruits from Taiwan.
3. The Taiwan Question and
China's Reunification in the New Era
● We are one China, and Taiwan is part of China.
● Peaceful reunification and "one country, two systems" are our basic
principles for resolving the Taiwan question,but we will not renounce the
use of force, and we reserve the option of taking all necessary measures.
● External forces have encouraged and instigated provocative actions by the
separatist forces;Relying on external forces will achieve nothing for
Taiwan's separatists, and using Taiwan to contain China is doomed to fail.
4. Realist Theory
● Taiwan’s proximity and pivotal strategic location
● Taiwan’s location prevents China from claiming complete control over the South
China Sea and expand its naval power east-ward to compete against the United
States.
● Taiwan mutates into a national security threat…
● China Daily said that the U.S. has tried to “incorporate the island into its grand
strategy to contain, isolate and weaken China,” China’s Taiwan policy
functions to prevent other powers, principally the United States, from “using
Taiwan to constrain China” – an accusation that has a broader set of meanings,
but that nonetheless situates the Taiwan issue in the context of great power
competition.
● Conclusion:Self-interested pursuit of maximal power and security.
