King Pu-tsung once vowed that he would not take up any position in the administration of ROC President Ma Ying-jeou. If Taipei-Washington relations are at their highest point in 30 years, as American Institute in Taiwan Chairman Raymond Burghardt said, why is King now serving as ROC representative to the U.S.?
The answer is obvious: the increasingly strained relationship between Beijing and Washington.
Tensions between the two powers have been rising since Ma first took office in 2008. Disputes arose in the East and South China seas after the Barack Obama administration announced the U.S. “return to Asia” in the following year, and the drama continues. In late October mainland China began deploying maritime surveillance ships to patrol the waters of the Diaoyutai Archipelago on a regular basis to counter Japan’s “nationalization” moves.
The U.S. Senate then passed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for 2013 officially putting the Diaoyutais under the protection of Article 5 of the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the U.S. and Japan, hinting that in the event of conflict between Beijing and Tokyo, Washington would take steps to intervene, including military force. This only added fuel to the fire.
In fact, the U.S. State Department said as early as August 2010 that as the Diaoyutais are under Japan’s administrative control, they clearly fall under the security treaty.
Just as discord over the Diaoyutais was surfacing, the Philippines used the establishment of its normal baselines for territorial seas in 2009 to claim Scarborough Reef and some of the Nansha (Spratly) Islands as its territory, creating another point of contention between Beijing and Washington in the South China Sea.
After the U.S. used the sinking of the South Korean anti-submarine corvette Cheonan as justification for a naked show of force in naval exercises, mainland China consolidated its three main fleets for the first time to conduct joint maneuvers in the Sea of Japan, Bashi Channel and Nansha (Spratly) Islands. In early 2011 it commissioned its first aircraft carrier, sparking off a new regional arms race.
Other recent actions by mainland China have again upped tensions in the South China Sea. Its new passports include a map of territory it claims; the Standing Committee of the Hainan People’s Congress authorized public security forces to board and search foreign ships “illegally” entering the region’s waters; and the State Oceanic Administration announced that it will strengthen its effective control over waters surrounding the Xisha (Paracel) Islands and Scarborough Reef.
Taiwan’s position in relation to the growing Beijing-Washington rift is becoming ever more challenging. Su Chi, former secretary-general of the National Security Council, once said the Ma administration’s foreign policy strategy is to create a balanced situation by promoting peaceful ties with mainland China while maintaining friendship with Japan and an alliance with the U.S.
Although the renewal of cross-strait talks and diplomatic truce with Beijing, deepening of economic and trade relations with Japan, and concessions made on the U.S. beef issue have all contributed to this goal, implementing the three-pronged approach is a daunting task.
When King was a visiting scholar at the Brookings Institution in 2009, there was widespread speculation that he was responsible for communicating ROC government policy to Washington. New pressures brought about by deteriorating bilateral relations have made it necessary for his position to become official, so he can prevent any misunderstanding by the U.S. that could cause unnecessary difficulties for Taiwan.
Just as is commonly believed, it is not important that King has no diplomatic experience; the point is that he is a stand-in for Ma.
As U.S. support continues to be essential to Taiwan’s security, it will be crucial for King to accurately and effectively convey the nuances of ROC policy to Washington, thereby diminishing threats from escalating regional conflicts and allowing the country to continue developing under relatively predictable conditions. (THN)
(This commentary originally appeared in the China Times Dec. 4, 2012.)
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