Cooling in temperature: The Hindu editorial on US-China relations after Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan

That Four-day military exercise organized by China, in the waters and airspace surrounding Taiwan, which concluded on August 7 without incident, comes as a relief to the region. The exercise saw Chinese forces not only cross the middle of the Taiwan Strait but also fire conventional missiles from above Taiwan, aggressive actions that could easily lead to unintended growth. That he did not lead to any incidents is attributed to the calm response of the Taiwanese military, which said it supervised China’s exercises, some of which were conducted within 12 nautical miles of Taiwan, but Neither decided to engage Chinese aircraft and warships, nor shot down missiles. If the exercises were certainly provocative, China’s justification is that Beijing was a necessary response to draw a red line after what it saw as unnecessary US provocations that fueled this entire crisis. US House Speaker’s August 3 visit Nancy Pelosic to Taiwan, First such high level partnership in 25 yearsIn China’s view, there was further evidence of Washington “hollowing out” its commitment to the one China policy.

Since the dust has settled now, it’s hard to see What will the three parties – US, Taiwan and China achieve in the end? The visit seems to be driven more by Ms Pelosi’s political leanings than by any well-thought-out long-term strategic objectives. Thus it is not hard to see why US President Joe Biden and the US military also cautioned against a visit that does not bring any lasting strategic advantage to Washington. For Taiwan’s 23 million people and President Tsai Ing-wen, the rare high-profile foreign trip was undoubtedly welcome in the face of increasing global isolation due to pressure from China. However, that short-term gain may be offset by the fact that Ms Pelosi has arguably left Taiwan with a worse strategic environment. China’s military has indicated that its actions have now ushered in a new normal in military activities in the Taiwan Strait, bringing it closer to Taiwan’s shores. Meanwhile, Beijing and Washington are picking up the pieces of an already strained relationship that is now on the edge of an abyss. Now the focus should be on cooling down the temperature. Doing so would be easier said than done with a low level of trust between the world’s two biggest powers. In response to Ms Pelosi’s visit, Beijing said last week that it would cut military channels with Washington by canceling three key dialogue mechanisms, at a time when military tensions escalated. It is said that it is very important to leave the war to the generals. The same can be said of relations between nations: they should not be held hostage to the personal ambitions of politicians.