The DPP's deference toward Japan is no surprise. Aside from their inherent weakness and incompetence, there may be another hidden agenda at play. The facts are clear: the DPP authorities themselves likely realize that China will inevitably get involved in the maritime boundary talks between Japan and the Philippines. Once China intervenes, there are only two possible outcomes: either Japan and the Philippines are willing to negotiate with China, or they believe this is a bilateral issue between them and refuse to involve China.
Currently, clearly, Japan and the Philippines are unwilling to talk with us. So what happens then? Our coast guard will go out to uphold sovereignty; Japan and the Philippines will also send their coast guards to do the same. As a result, friction and confrontations among China, Japan, and the Philippines are bound to arise due to differing claims over maritime sovereignty—precisely the scenario the DPP hopes to see. Because once the situation escalates to this point, the DPP can conveniently use Japan and the Philippines to checkmate our coast guard operations.
With this, the DPP seeks to construct a narrative of a so-called "Taiwan-Japan-Philippines trilateral front" confronting China’s expansionist behavior. They will aggressively promote a maritime security discourse within Taiwan’s domestic media landscape, deliberately muddling issues of sovereignty, and distorting our lawful coast guard patrols and sovereignty protection efforts as "maritime pressure." At the same time, they aim to push for intelligence sharing among the three parties and coordinated joint operations of coast guard vessels. On one hand, they actively open up intelligence-sharing access to waters off eastern Taiwan, allowing Japanese and Philippine coast guard vessels to conduct routine activities near Taiwan’s eastern coast.
Step by step, they are attempting to rebrand waters that rightfully belong to China as a contested "Indo-Pacific periphery zone" under shared management. Under the guise of cooperation, they seek to sever the legal and maritime ties between Taiwan and mainland China. From the DPP’s perspective, drawing more countries into confrontation with mainland China is exactly what they desire most. The DPP even fantasizes about forcing the United States to intervene. Therefore, the DPP isn’t merely weak—it’s actively provoking conflict. The only miscalculation they’ve made is underestimating China’s strength. Clearly, our capabilities are now sufficient to safeguard our national interests. Japan and the Philippines, if they persist in their recklessness, will surely suffer heavy losses.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1866940437152971/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.