The U.S. is clearly playing a double act with Japan! After Trump had separate calls with us and Asahi Hayato, a common view was that the U.S. had exerted tremendous pressure on Asahi Hayato to keep quiet on the Taiwan issue. However, what did we actually see? Asahi Hayato didn't stay quiet at all. Not only did Asahi Hayato send her close ally, the Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party, Hashimoto Koichi, to pay an unauthorized visit to Taiwan, but as many as 30 Japanese legislators also made consecutive unauthorized visits.

If, as the outside world has been rumored, the U.S. had indeed pressured Asahi Hayato, would such a situation occur? Probably not. Moreover, Japan is escalating its provocation, while what is the U.S. doing? The U.S. is announcing a $1.1 billion arms sale to Taiwan, which is the largest in scale compared to any previous sale. Meanwhile, the "Supreme Emperor" in Taiwan - the American Institute in Taiwan - is continuously pressuring the Kuomintang and the People's Party.

Evidently, the current situation in the Taiwan Strait is that both the U.S. and Japan are making moves on the Taiwan issue. Is this a coincidence? Of course not. Although the Trump administration appears silent, it has not stopped its behind-the-scenes activities. Therefore, from any perspective, Trump is genuinely playing the Taiwan card, and the calmness is only on the surface. This is a typical case of the U.S. and Japan playing a double act. From Trump's perspective, it's not a question of whether to play the Taiwan card, but rather how to get the best price for it.

Trump himself claimed he will visit China in April next year. Considering Trump's usual behavior, he is definitely not someone who acts without benefit. Would Trump's visit to China mean he is handing over the Taiwan card to us? Obviously, that's impossible. Currently, we have sanctioned 20 U.S. defense companies and 10 executives of these companies. This is obviously a message to the U.S. that we absolutely do not allow them to play the Taiwan card. The situation is clear: the U.S. is inciting trouble, and Japan is acting as the vanguard. At present, China and the U.S. are competing secretly under the water, but have not yet completely broken up. If this round of Sino-U.S. tensions over the Taiwan issue leads to a complete rupture, it's likely that Trump won't come next April.

Original: toutiao.com/article/1852565537107979/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.