For now, Beijing wields enough power to keep the US in check in the Pacific and to discourage Taiwan from relying too heavily on American support. In the future, the Pentagon believes that the PLA could extend further into the Pacific, using its fleet to control shipping lines and oil concessions. The “pace and scale” of the PLA’s modernisation has been “broad and sweeping”, the Pentagon said. But, for now, China’s modern army “remains untested”.
The US signaled its unwillingness to confront China when we allowed our manufacturing base to be outsourced there. We now consider China more important to our national interest than Taiwan, and we would never engage China in a military conflict over Taiwan. China knows this, and for now they don’t want to rock the boat for little gain. All we can do is hope Taiwan understands geopolitical relations and the reality of their position.
It would behoove us, though, not to abandon Taiwan. A broken promise and a close relationship between us and the people of Taiwan would be disastrous for us. One doesn’t abandon one’s friends because the neighborhood bully makes threats.
#2 I agree. But when you embrace the neighborhood bully and make him your best friend while he continues to bully your old friends, you signal to your old friends that things have changed. We have embraced China. Taiwan can no longer count on us for more than “hey we will try to put in a good word for you with our new buddy.”
Unofficially China is in a sense “colonizing” much of Africa all over again.
Where I work, they do most of the large infrastructure projects (roads, ports, stadiums…), almost all of the household goods in the market are from China, and the new Chinese Embassy in the country where I work is easily double the size of the US or French embassies. Flights here from Paris, too, are often half-full of Chinese businessmen.
The one good thing about this, is that given the explosion of Christianity in China, I’m guessing that some of the Chinese living and working in Muslim parts of W. Africa are strong Christians, and I’m praying this will be a force God uses for reaching many!