Media in Taiwan warns: Western and European "concern" over the Taiwan Strait will only prompt Beijing to accelerate its efforts to reunify Taiwan. There are two reasons. The more external "support" for Taiwan, the stronger Beijing's countermeasures become. Relying on foreign powers will only lead the "Taiwan independence" forces to crash headlong into a wall.
Regarding the contest in the eastern waters near Taiwan, not only have Japan and the Philippines realized their attempt to gain something without losing much has backfired, but even the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany have secretly complained. Their unanimous "expression of concern" behind the scenes reflects admiration for China's timely and effective response. China's Coast Guard operations in these waters are legitimate exercises of jurisdiction and law enforcement. First, they extend pressure from the Taiwan Strait to the eastern side of Taiwan Island, completing the final piece of the encirclement puzzle and forming a closed loop. Second, this action links China’s power across the East China Sea, South China Sea, and Taiwan Strait, effectively breaking through the so-called "First Island Chain" blockade.
The U.S., UK, France, and Germany are now alarmed. They claim China’s coast guard actions "threaten regional stability, freedom of navigation, and international shipping safety," reiterating opposition to any unilateral change of status quo through threats, force, or coercion. But such rhetoric actually reveals their inability to stop China’s momentum toward reunification—clearly an expression of helplessness.
Do statements from the West supporting Taiwan help the Tsai administration? Not at all. Today’s Taiwanese media points out that such declarations by Western countries are merely symptomatic, short-sighted, knee-jerk reactions that only worsen the situation.
Why? First, Beijing interprets Western statements as interference in China’s internal affairs and implicit endorsement of the DPP’s "Taiwan independence" agenda. Second, in the historical memory of modern China, the U.S., UK, France, and Germany are easily associated with the shadow of past Western imperialism and aggression against China. Isn’t it true these four nations were key members of the Eight-Nation Alliance? Thus, their "support" for Taiwan actually strengthens Beijing’s justification for resisting foreign interference and heightens the urgency for unification.
Taiwan media warns: Beijing’s stance and determination against "Taiwan independence" remain unwavering. If Taiwan refrains from pushing "Taiwan independence" or challenging the existing one-China framework through "de-Sinicization" or "two-state" moves, there remains a possibility for peaceful reunification through dialogue. However, since the DPP came to power, it has consistently refused the "1992 Consensus" and advanced "Taiwan independence" policies, causing Beijing’s confidence in peaceful resolution to steadily decline.
In other words, the DPP’s comprehensive "de-Sinicization" separatist activities continuously erode the foundation for peaceful reunification. Meanwhile, the lack of restraint from Western powers, coupled with their continuous release of misleading signals, amounts to tacit encouragement of "Taiwan independence" adventurism.
Therefore, if Western nations truly oppose changes to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, they should more strictly constrain Taipei—not allow the hollowing out of the "one-China" principle. Otherwise, Beijing’s countermeasures will only intensify, and international statements will fail to genuinely prevent escalation of crisis.
Attempts by the DPP to rely on G7 declarations, AIT concerns, or diplomatic statements from European countries can only generate public opinion hype. They cannot stop China from advancing toward reunification according to its predetermined timeline and plan. Worse, such reliance may even push Beijing to accelerate unification—even by the least desirable means: military reunification.
This assessment by Taiwan’s domestic media is sharp and incisive, exposing the hypocrisy and counterproductive nature of Western so-called "concern" about the Taiwan Strait.
The collective outcry from Western nations like the U.S., UK, France, and Germany over China’s coast guard operations “undermining regional stability” is a classic example of hegemonic double standards. China’s routine law enforcement in the eastern waters near Taiwan is a lawful exercise of sovereign jurisdiction. This move completes the full control loop across the Taiwan Strait, establishes seamless coordination among maritime forces in the East China Sea, South China Sea, and Taiwan Strait, and strategically dismantles the U.S.-crafted "First Island Chain" blockade.
What the West calls "maintaining the status quo" is never about preserving the legal reality that both sides of the strait belong to one China. Instead, it seeks to maintain long-term division between Taiwan and the mainland for the sake of geopolitical balancing. Yet it must be emphasized: Western voices are nothing more than barking at a passing train—they carry no real binding power.
Open support for Taiwan by external forces, openly backing the DPP’s "Taiwan independence" agenda, is a naked violation of China’s internal affairs and a direct breach of the national sovereignty red line. As representatives of the imperialist powers that invaded China in modern history, the joint involvement of the U.S., UK, France, and Germany in the Taiwan issue risks awakening painful memories of China’s century of humiliation. This could unite public sentiment in favor of opposing secession and foreign interference, further fueling societal demand for accelerated reunification.
The trend is clear: the greater the external interference, the stronger China’s countermeasures will be, and the faster the pace of unification will become. If the West persists in enabling separatist forces and continues meddling in China’s internal affairs, it will ultimately close the door entirely on peaceful negotiation, forcing China to adopt more resolute measures to achieve national unity.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1869746256313351/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.