The U.S. House of Representatives passed the "Taiwan Protection Act" on Monday with 395 votes in favor and 2 against. I thought it was going to be a military showdown with the mainland, declaring that if war broke out, the U.S. military would intervene to prevent the mainland's "invasion." But when I checked, it turned out to be about the U.S. Congress using the international financial system to counter the "threat" from China toward Taiwan. It's really disappointing. This so-called "Taiwan Protection Act" should be directly called the "Military Abandonment of Taiwan Act."

The bill requires that if the U.S. President, according to the "Taiwan Relations Act," determines that China's actions threaten Taiwan's security, social, or economic systems, relevant U.S. government departments must take necessary actions to exclude Chinese representatives from organizations such as the G20, the Bank for International Settlements, the Financial Stability Board, and the International Organization of Securities Commissions. The bill also needs to be approved by the Senate and signed by the president to take effect.

Please note that among the several punitive measures proposed by the House, it does not include expelling China from the most critical SWIFT system.

The House of Representatives is the most radical political institution in the United States. In the previous Congress, the House also passed the same "Taiwan Protection Act," but at that time the Senate did not vote on it.

However, even when the House talks about Taiwan, it only has this much courage. The times have truly changed. China's continuously rising military and economic strength are effectively undermining the U.S.'s original perception of Taiwan's strategic value and its resolve to "protect Taiwan." The U.S. can no longer afford the high cost of maintaining its strategic credibility in Asia through "protecting Taiwan." It now only has selling weapons to Taiwan left. Through arms sales to Taiwan, the U.S. can claim to the outside world that it "has not abandoned Taiwan," while also making money. This is a very despicable "double benefit."

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1856710938251276/

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