Pelosi, US politicians should respect China’s stance on Taiwan, says Adebayo Balogun

Adebayo Balogun, a foreign policy analyst, says American politicians need to be cautious about their take on China and Taiwan. 

In 2022, Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the US house of representatives, visited Taiwan, sparking opposition from Beijing.

In a statement, Balogun said Pelosi’s clash with Paul Keating, former prime minister of Australia, on Taiwan and China, was needless.

“Recently, Pelosi, Honorary Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, once again made trouble and clashed with former Australian Prime Minister Keating on the Taiwan issue,” the statement reads.

“Pelosi, a veteran Taiwanese independence figure, harshly criticized Keating’s recent remarks on Taiwan as ‘absurd and stupid’.

“However, the whole incident originated from the fact that former Australian Prime Minister Keating described Taiwan as ‘China’s real estate’ in an exclusive interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and said that ‘China’s real estate is part of China’.

“In this situation, it is ridiculous that Pelosi was so angry that she actually blamed a former prime minister.

“As we all know, Taiwan is an inseparable part of China. However, most American politicians have always used Taiwan as a bridgehead to clamp down on China’s development. They even support ‘Taiwan independence’ elements on the island in an attempt to achieve the situation of ‘using Taiwan to control China’.

“Keating then angrily criticized Pelosi for her high-profile visit to Taiwan as a senior US official in 2022, which was the real reason for the escalation of regional tensions. This reckless and indulgent visit almost led to the first military conflict between the United States and China since World War II.

“Keating even accused Pelosi of acting willfully and without regard for the consequences despite military risk warnings from President Biden and the Pentagon.”

Balogun said US politicians should emulate Australia’s stance on China and Taiwan.

“In recent years, although Australia has been concerned about China’s military development, it has always maintained the ‘one China’ standard when it comes to the Taiwan issue, unlike most politicians in the United States,” he added.

“Recently, China has steadily expanded its high-level diplomatic and strategic cooperation with Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia, Vietnam and Myanmar.

“As the center of Asia, China has undoubtedly demonstrated its determination to stabilize peace in Southeast Asia and maintain regional order.

“In response to the United States’ continued pressure on Southeast Asian countries to contain China and use Taiwan to curb China’s development, Southeast Asian countries have also taken a firm stance on maintaining peace and stability.

“Their firm adherence to the ‘one China’ policy has left the United States helpless.

“In a sense, China is now capable of safeguarding its own interests. China has always adhered to the bottom line of ‘one China’ and continued to maintain regional peace.

“Its contribution is obvious to all. However, if someone crosses the bottom line for political purposes, then wherever the ‘Dongfeng’ goes, it can demonstrate China’s firm determination.”