Lead:
Recently, the situation in the Taiwan Strait has continued to heat up, and cross-strait relations have become tense. After losing the "nine-in-one" election, the DPP authorities adopted a tough stance and colluded with the United States and other external separatist forces, which triggered a strong reaction from the mainland. This article will reorganize and present this event, highlighting the key details and complex scenarios behind it.
After the crushing defeat in the "nine-in-one" election, Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities have chosen a tougher political path, taking the mainland's tough posture as their own booster. Behind this decision, there are more complex factors. At the same time, the mainland side also expressed a series of relevant views against the background of the rising situation in the Taiwan Strait. Next, we will revisit this event and reveal the story behind it.
The mainland's position is very firm. They stressed that they have always upheld the "one-China principle" and the "consensus of '92" and resolutely opposed "Taiwan independence." The mainland's position is clear, hoping to promote cross-strait reunification, but is unwilling to compromise on the challenge of "Taiwan independence." Speaking of national defense and army building, the mainland stressed that in order to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, it will comprehensively deepen military training and preparation for war and prepare for firm and flexible military struggle.
However, the Taiwan authorities do not compromise on the mainland's position. They hope that the mainland side will face up to the reality that "the two sides of the strait are not subordinate to each other" and handle cross-strait relations in a pragmatic manner. Chen Jianren, head of Taiwan's administrative department, said that the Taiwan people generally support the "four insistences" proposed by Tsai Ing-wen, and cross-strait relations must be based on mutual respect and equality in order to develop benignly. The Taiwan side stressed that the mainland must respect the firm "democratic" choice of the people on the island.
At the military level, Taiwan's defense sector has also expressed concern. Chiu Guo-cheng, head of Taiwan's defense department, pointed out that the PLA has recently frequently sent military aircraft and warships to patrol the Taiwan Strait, an average of about 10 times a day. This military movement makes the possibility of cross-strait conflict impossible to ignore. Chiu made it clear that Taiwan is ready to deal with war, and although they will not initiate an attack, the Taiwanese military will be ready and take action as long as the PLA crosses the 12-nautical-mile sea area around Taiwan.
There is also news from Taiwan that the United States plans to exchange the ammunition reserves originally stored in South Korea and Japan to the Taiwan region. Qiu Guozheng admitted that the stockpile of ammunition has always been on the radar of the Taiwan authorities, which is not directly related to the US decision, but the Taiwan region and the United States are discussing this issue. Meanwhile, China announced a 7.2% increase in its defense budget for 2023 to 1.5 trillion yuan. Qiu Guozheng believes that this reflects the mainland's increasingly strong "use of force" against Taiwan. This development also means that the principle of "no first shot" that Taiwan used to pursue has changed, and they will take action as soon as the PLA crosses the border.
It is worth noting that after the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, countries around the world have increased defense spending. U.S. military spending increased by 10 percent, while Japan increased by 26 percent. In contrast, China's military spending increased by 7.2%, which is a normal percentage. However, the main reason for China's increased defense spending is the escalating military ties with the "United States and Taiwan".
Since Biden became the US president, there have been 8 arms sales to Taiwan. Not long ago, the U.S. State Department approved a new round of arms sales to Taiwan, totaling $619 million, including American F-16 fighters and hundreds of AGM-88B and AIM-120-C8 missiles. Analysts believe that this arms sale is different from previous forms because the weapons provided are all "first-line equipment" currently used by the US Air Force. The move combined Blinken's previous remarks that "the Taiwan issue is not China's internal affair," so the arms sale sends an unusual signal.
On the cross-strait issue, the mainland has repeatedly stressed its willingness to do its utmost to realize peaceful reunification, but it has also resolutely refused to give up the option of force. This shows that as long as the "Taiwan independence" elements and external separatist forces on the island do not try to cross the red line, China will give priority to peaceful reunification. However, the reality is that military collusion between the "United States and Taiwan" is becoming more and more frequent, and weapons are loaded
Reserve specifications are also getting higher and higher. At the same time, news of high-ranking US officials in Taiwan has been continuously reported, further aggravating tensions. Qiu Guozheng said frankly that Taiwan will prepare in advance to deal with any potential challenges.
Recent polls show that nearly six-in-ten Taiwanese believe that the United States will regard Taiwan as a "pawn" to curb the mainland's development. Against this background, if the Taiwan authorities continue to increase their collusion with the United States, then they may leave class earlier instead of waiting for the outbreak of the "first shot". Most people on the island do not want to see the two sides of the strait fighting each other, and they prefer to solve the problem peacefully rather than get caught up in the quagmire of conflict.
To sum up, the current escalation of tension in the Taiwan Strait has aroused widespread concern from the international community. The hard-line stance of the DPP authorities, coupled with the continuous involvement of the United States, has made cross-strait relations more complicated and sensitive. Although the mainland stressed its willingness to achieve peaceful reunification, it also made it clear that it would not give up the option of force. In this tense atmosphere, the Taiwanese people are increasingly looking forward to a peaceful solution to the problem, rather than seeing the outbreak of conflict. How to resolve the current crisis will be an important issue in the future, requiring the joint efforts of all parties to contribute to regional peace and stability.