The Battle for Taiwan Has Begun

SEOUL — The safest bet in the Strait of Formosa is that the battle for Taiwan has begun. Communist China’s exercises around Taiwan appear likely to be with us for years. That is, the Chinese can turn them on and off, practicing different types of weaponry, moving ships and troops in and out, making sure everyone has their turn. This is best seen as a tactic in a long war.The Communst Chinese, moreover, can play the same war games elsewhere in the region, up to the Yellow Sea, which Korea calls the West Sea, south to the South China Sea, where China has already established bases. They can also range across the southern Pacific, where the Chinese will be all too happy to strike up military relationships with small island states eager for business.All such fears are kindled by the simple fact that China’s war games are not stopping. They began as Speaker Pelosi, with five other members of Congress, was flying there last week for a day of talks with President Tsai Ing-wen and legislative leaders. They were not assuaged by her visit. And they will be with us for a long time.There were some voices of dissent in Taiwan against Mrs. Pelosi’s visit, but they were in a small minority. “Her visit was welcomed by most of the people in Taiwan,” a Taiwan journalist, Yang Chien-Hao, told me. “You could indeed see protests for and against her in front of her hotel in Taipei, but most of the people welcomed her especially after the warnings and threats from China.” Communist China’s party boss, Xi Jinping, of course, is totally oblivious to the wishes of Taiwan’s 23.5 million people. Nobody’s talking even in jest about a plebiscite to determine what they really think. The result would make a total mockery of the party’s unrelenting drive to impose its dictatorship on an island state that, if you subscribe to the “one China” policy, technically might be a province of China but functions as an independent democracy.Taiwan’s people can elect their own president and legislators, a concept that’s never been remotely considered for the mainland’s 1.4 billion citizens. So now, the question is, what’s President Biden going to do about it? So far the impression is that he’s wringing his hands, wishing the whole problem would just go away.It’s left to Secretary Blinken to come out with useless expressions of righteous indignation. He’s called the Chinese exercises “unjustified” and pleaded for easing tensions. Thanks, Mr. Secretary, those diplomatic pleas are okay as far as they go, but they’re not going to have the least effect on anyone.You know what’s needed now, don’t you? For what do we have the Seventh Fleet with two aircraft carrier groups roaming around the western and southern Pacific? Mr. Biden, not known for his war-like tendencies, would no doubt be horrified by the idea, but isn’t it about time for the carrier Ronald Reagan, accompanied by destroyers and supply ships, to stage some war games of its own around Taiwan?No need to threaten any Chinese ships in the area. Just tell the Chinese: Those are international waters, and we’re going to play games, too. It’s hard to imagine Mr. Biden going to go for that idea. He’s already dreading the first anniversary of his precipitous walkout from Afghanistan, and he’s not at all happy about Ukraine. It’s one thing to pump in billions of dollars in aid, but that’s not about to stop President Putin from prosecuting the war.Taiwan, however, is another matter. President Clinton, back in 1995 and 1996, had the guts to send in two carrier groups and stop the Chinese from sabotaging Taiwan’s upcoming presidential election by firing missiles. China today is much stronger. All the more important for Washington to act firmly to stand up to the Chinese. What do we have those big Navy ships out there for? And what are all our planes doing sitting at Kadena Air Base on the southernmost Japanese prefecture of Okinawa and in Guam?Mr. Biden has to be willing to deploy these assets and stop the nonsense — his own nonsense and China’s nonsense. Taiwan is a beleaguered small democracy being bullied by a huge power. Now’s the time to make good on the “commitment” that Mr. Biden, during his visits to Japan and Korea, pledged in May. If we wait for China to go on intimidating Taiwan, it may be too late.

The Battle for Taiwan Has Begun

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