This article was originally published in The Diplomat.
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s 19-hour visit to Taiwan on August 2, the first since Newt Gingrich visited as speaker in 1997, aggravated already heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing. Since her visit, its wisdom has been questioned by many. The delegation was preceded by a public display of lack of coordination between Pelosi and the Biden administration, which may have factored into China’s decision to follow the visit with the largest military exercises yet around Taiwan.
Congressional delegations are routine within the guidelines of U.S. engagement with Taiwan, but these visits never fail to draw protest from China. Of course, the United States has no obligation to make foreign policy decisions based on Beijing’s potential reaction. Still, while these delegations can be certainly symbolic gestures to show support for Taiwan and the strong Taiwan-U.S. relationship, there are other activities that can have more substantial impact on strengthening Taiwan-U.S. relations.
Much Ado About Delegations – But Real Taiwan-US Cooperation is Elsewhere
By Pamela Kennedy
China
This article was originally published in The Diplomat.
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s 19-hour visit to Taiwan on August 2, the first since Newt Gingrich visited as speaker in 1997, aggravated already heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing. Since her visit, its wisdom has been questioned by many. The delegation was preceded by a public display of lack of coordination between Pelosi and the Biden administration, which may have factored into China’s decision to follow the visit with the largest military exercises yet around Taiwan.
Congressional delegations are routine within the guidelines of U.S. engagement with Taiwan, but these visits never fail to draw protest from China. Of course, the United States has no obligation to make foreign policy decisions based on Beijing’s potential reaction. Still, while these delegations can be certainly symbolic gestures to show support for Taiwan and the strong Taiwan-U.S. relationship, there are other activities that can have more substantial impact on strengthening Taiwan-U.S. relations.
Read the full article at The Diplomat.
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