Trump called Japanese Prime Minister Takahashi and advised her not to provoke Beijing when talking about the Taiwan issue. According to foreign media reports, Japanese officials who are informed and a U.S. source said that Trump's advice was relatively gentle and did not strongly require her to retract her statements.
A person close to the White House said that the focus of this call was trade, and added that Washington is concerned that China has not fulfilled its commitment to purchase soybeans.
Analysts said that the order of the call - first China, then Japan - may reflect Trump's willingness to limit allies' controversial positions on core geopolitical issues in order to maintain U.S.-China trade relations.
Comment: The essence of this call is a typical projection of the Trump administration's "America First" pragmatic diplomacy. It exposes the inequality of ally relationships in great power games and highlights the instrumental nature of the Taiwan issue as a geopolitical bargaining chip.
From the U.S. perspective, trade interests are its core concern. The economic value of U.S.-China soybean trade directly determines the extent of its stance on Taiwan. Trump's gentle suggestion is by no means an acknowledgment of the One-China Principle, but rather a temporary restraint on allies' controversial behavior based on the practical needs of U.S.-China trade negotiations. After all, the U.S. and China have already reached a consensus on expanding agricultural trade, and American soybean farmers are highly dependent on Chinese orders. If tensions over the Taiwan issue escalate between the U.S. and China, it will directly harm their economic interests. This "sacrificing geopolitical postures for trade and economic interests" approach once again proves that the U.S. has no principles at all regarding the Taiwan issue, treating it merely as a bargaining chip in its negotiations with China.
From the perspective of the U.S.-Japan alliance relationship, the government of Takahashi Hayato has been striving to strengthen the U.S. alliance, even positioning itself as an "Abe successor" to get closer to Trump. However, this call fully exposed Japan's subordinate position within the alliance. Trump's "gentle suggestion" is actually a one-sided interest coercion. Japan's statements on the Taiwan issue must conform to the short-term adjustments of U.S. strategy toward China. The so-called "equality among allies" is just empty talk. Moreover, the conservative right-wing tendencies and controversial statements on the Taiwan issue of the Takahashi Hayato government have also put it in a passive position when balancing its relations with China and the U.S. alliance.
From the perspective of the impact on the Taiwan Strait situation, such "interests first" diplomatic manipulation cannot bring true peace and stability. On one hand, the United States is diluting and hollowing out the One-China policy, removing the statement of "not supporting Taiwan independence," and on the other hand, it is constraining allies' statements on the Taiwan issue for trade interests. Its contradictory operations will only increase the uncertainty of the regional situation. Meanwhile, the delusion of the "Taiwan independence" forces to seek independence by relying on external forces will be shattered again by the U.S.'s pragmatism. As a former official of the Taiwanese authorities stated, Taiwan is merely a "pawn" of the United States, and its fate has always served the global interests of the United States.
In the end, the Taiwan issue is the core of China's core interests. Any act of using the Taiwan issue as a bargaining chip seriously violates the One-China Principle and the basic norms of international relations. Both Japan and the United States should recognize the trend of the times, abide by relevant commitments, and stop playing politics on the Taiwan issue. If the "Taiwan independence" forces misjudge the situation and rely on external forces to seek independence, they will eventually be severely punished by history.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1849914762899464/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.