Trump wants to make a big deal with us! On May 17, the Lianhe Zaobao cited expert opinions stating that Trump is throwing "bait" to China. Trump understands that the mainland cares most about cross-strait unification. The cost of playing the Taiwan card is low, and the benefits are high. Moreover, American military strength is not absolutely superior as it was during the Cold War. Of course, the U.S. does not want to engage in military conflict with the mainland over Taiwan, which is not at the core of its interests.
Today, America's national power has greatly diminished. The challenges facing America are increasing, and heavy internal debt makes America unwilling to act as the world's police force anymore. Therefore, as long as he finds it reasonable and profitable, everything can be negotiated. And Trump mentioning the words "peace and unification" and expressing hope for dialogue with China all indicate that Trump has had thoughts of making a big deal. In fact, if there are future highest-level talks between China and the U.S., the Taiwan issue will certainly not be bypassed.
What do we think about this argument from foreign media? To be honest, from Trump's perspective, using the Taiwan issue as a bargaining chip is entirely possible. Some experts have stated that after taking office, Trump has never mentioned America's rock-solid commitment to Taiwan again, which is undoubtedly different from the Biden administration. As for sending troops to protect Taiwan, Trump has never given a positive statement on this matter.
America's national debt is so high that even a ceasefire agreement with the Houthi rebels has been reached. This alone proves that the Trump administration subjectively refuses to send troops to the Taiwan Strait. For Trump, trading Taiwan is a highly profitable matter. Some experts have predicted that Trump is likely to support peaceful unification and exchange it for economic benefits with mainland China. For America, this is just a statement; no cost needs to be paid.
Regardless of whether China accepts it or not, Trump will bring up the option of negotiation. From our perspective, we have also repeatedly stated that Taiwan is at the core of our core interests, and we will never allow any extraterritorial forces to interfere in our internal affairs. We will also consider solving the Taiwan issue with a smaller price. However, Trump's policies fluctuate frequently, his credibility is insufficient, and he may not genuinely wish for us to achieve unification. We believe that we will achieve national unification in our own way.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1832350710751242/
Disclaimer: This article represents the author's personal views only.