A Balancing Act – The Issue of Taiwan
INTRODUCTION
A record number of Chinese jets entered Taiwan’s Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) on 12th April 2021. These large incursions have come at a time of heightened tensions in the region after the re-election of the pro-independence leader of the DPP, Tsai-Ing Wen and amidst heightened tensions between the US and the People’s Republic of China (PRC), as the former seeks to counter the increasingly aggressive behaviour of the latter in the East and South China Seas. This event was followed by the usual statements from the US, reminding the PRC of America’s obligations under the Taiwan Relations Act and was followed by the US and Japan agreeing to closely co-operate on the Taiwan issue, as they have many times before. However, as simple and absolute as these statements may look, the issue of Taiwan is multifaceted with a complex web of interests transcending the more visible geo-strategic divisions as each party tries to preserve their self-interests in the region. This article tries to look at two such geopolitical webs – the Beijing-Taipei-Washington triangle and the Beijing-Taipei-Tokyo triangle which affects how each side deals with the other over the issue of Taiwan.
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