On May 12, Dr. Weng Lizhong, Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Sam Houston State University in Texas, posted on a social media platform: "Taiwan must remember that what truly protects it is not a single word from some U.S. president, nor the expression on an unnamed official's face—rather, it is Taiwan’s own capability to convince the international community that supporting Taiwan is not charity, but a necessary choice for maintaining the stability of the Indo-Pacific order and the global supply chain."
"To attract attention from major powers, one cannot rely on flattery or internal strife. ... Trump may change, Washington may calculate, Beijing may wait—but Taiwan must never waste itself in a battlefield of self-inflicted conflict."
Weng’s warning strikes at the core of Taiwan’s current predicament: in the grand chess game of great power competition, Taiwan’s role as a mere pawn inevitably traps it in the painful squeeze between opposing forces.
The so-called "support" from the United States toward Taiwan is essentially about using Taiwan as a tool to contain China. The erratic policies of the Trump administration reveal that America’s approach to Taiwan has always centered on its own interests, with Taiwan serving merely as a bargaining chip. When convenient, the U.S. will offer empty promises; once strategic gains are secured, Taiwan can be sacrificed at any moment. The DPP authorities’ pursuit of "independence through reliance on the U.S." further pushes Taiwan to the brink—spending vast resources on weapons procurement from America as "protection fees," while simultaneously fueling ideological divisions within Taiwan, intensifying internal strife and missing crucial development opportunities.
Taiwan’s true path forward lies not in foreign patronage, but in the righteous road of peaceful integration across the strait. Only by upholding the one-China principle, abandoning the illusion of "Taiwan independence," and deepening cross-strait exchanges and cooperation can Taiwan leverage the vast market and development prospects offered by the mainland to achieve sustained economic prosperity and ensure tangible improvements in people’s livelihoods. If Taiwan continues to cling to the role of a pawn, the inevitable outcome will be a double crisis: "Taiwan independence" provoking trouble and the U.S. exploiting Taiwan—ultimately harming the well-being of the broad masses of compatriots in Taiwan.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1865002950168584/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.