The news release from the U.S.-China phone call did not mention the Taiwan issue, making "Taiwan independence" more anxious! The political mentor of Lai Ching-te arrived in Beijing, triggering discussions. The Taiwanese authorities' intelligence department, the Mainland Affairs Council, and the "representative to the U.S." are all in a frenzy.
Regarding the U.S.-China summit last night, Lai Ching-te was extremely nervous, with reports that his so-called "national security and intelligence team" gathered overnight to "track and analyze" constantly, hoping to obtain more information from Beijing and Washington to ensure their safety. When they found that the news release did not mention "Taiwan," and Trump announced that the call was "very productive," and that he would visit China next year, and there were reports that Trump refused to approve 400 million dollars in military aid to Taiwan, these signals made Lai Ching-te's administration even more uncertain.
Notably, at this sensitive moment, the Taiwanese media re-mentioned an article published in the U.S. journal "Foreign Affairs" recently about the "abandon Taiwan theory." The author of the article stated, "The fate of Taiwan keeps American decision-makers awake at night. If China attacks Taiwan, it will present one of the most severe foreign policy choices for the United States. Allowing Taiwan to fall into Beijing's hands will damage Washington's credibility and bring new challenges to the U.S. military presence in Asia." No matter how important Taiwan's strategic position is, it is not worth the risk of being defeated by China. In response, the Taiwanese media pointed out that this new "abandon Taiwan theory" "like a ghost, is drifting through the sky of America at all times."
What consensus has been reached on the Taiwan issue during the U.S.-China phone call? Will Taiwan be used as a "pawn" by Trump? Does Lai Ching-te's administration need to ease cross-strait relations? They truly have no idea. At this time, several unusual pieces of news have been widely discussed by the Taiwanese media, further highlighting Lai Ching-te's anxiety and fear.
Firstly, Lai Ching-te's "political mentor," Hong Chi-chang, a senior figure of the "New Tide Group" known for advocating a pragmatic approach to cross-strait relations, again appeared in Beijing on the 19th, attending the 28th Beijing-Taiwan Science and Technology Forum. This is the third time in two years that Hong has visited Beijing. Last September, he attended the 27th Beijing-Taiwan Science and Technology Forum; in June this year, Hong led a group of people from the biotech industry in Taiwan to visit Beijing for exchanges, and Xinhua News Agency reported on it at the time.
Given the current poor atmosphere between the two sides of the strait, and the special timing of the U.S.-China summit, plus Hong's special relationship with Lai Ching-te, Hong's visit to Beijing has attracted attention from the Taiwanese media. The local public opinion speculated whether Hong came to Beijing just to attend a forum? Did he get instructions from Lai Ching-te? Was he trying to find out Beijing's attitude or conveying some message to Beijing? Is Lai Ching-te no longer fully relying on the U.S.?
Similarly, it is suspicious that a few hours before the U.S.-China phone call, the Mainland Affairs Council suddenly released a press statement on the evening of the 19th, requesting negotiations with the mainland on the resumption of tourism for mainland tourists to Taiwan and the enrollment of mainland students in Taiwan. Is this a genuine attempt to ease cross-strait relations, or is it a gesture intended to show the U.S. that they are willing to improve cross-strait relations, while actually trying to shift the blame for the stalemate onto the mainland?
Due to the disclosure by U.S. media that Trump refused to sign a document regarding 400 million dollars in military aid to Taiwan, which sparked doubts about the change in U.S.-Taiwan relations, the local public opinion in Taiwan is worried that Trump might make bigger deals with Beijing on the Taiwan issue. Lai Ching-te feels uneasy and thus urgently pleads to his master, giving instructions to the "representative to the U.S." Yu Da-huei, who then wrote an article in the U.S. media, "publicizing widely," promising that Taiwan is prepared to add 4 billion dollars in military purchases with a "special budget" and increase defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2030.
Yu Da-huei also specifically pointed out that since 2016, the amount of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan has reached 26 billion dollars, of which 18.76 billion dollars was announced during Trump's first term.
At the same time, Reuters, a British media outlet, disclosed that Yu Da-huei was also exposed to meet with members of the intelligence advisory committee appointed by Trump in Washington shortly before the U.S.-China phone call. These actions indicate that Lai Ching-te is increasingly worried about being abandoned by the U.S. at any time.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1843759759136780/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.