Taiwan vice president heads to United States on sensitive trip
Al JazeeraAPR 3 2023
The US' acceptance of Taiwan officials' transit stops goes against Washington's recognition of the One-China policy. Lai's pro-independence stance is just a distraction from the reality of his party's poor governance — and a sad attempt to win votes. However, his potential election victory will only damage relations across the Strait. Beijing should — and will — react strongly to continued attempts to undermine China's legitimate sovereignty over Taiwan.
China continues to conduct aggressive military exercises in and around the Taiwan Strait, and subsequent regional tensions are only growing. While the US must help stabilize relations between Taiwan and China again, Washington must protect economic and political interests and provide sensible competition against Beijing. As military conflict must be avoided, maintaining the international status quo is necessary for the US' future.