Expert: “Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan is one more step in the construction of a NATO in Asia to contain China”

Published:

Aug 2, 2022 23:28 GMT

The president of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, arrived on the island this Tuesday despite warnings from Beijing.

The visit to Taiwan of the president of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, is “a provocation” against Beijing and shows that “at least one of the branches of the US government does not respect” the principle of one China recognized by Washington, said the director of Specialization in China Studies at the Argentine Catholic University, Jorge Malena.

The professor recalled that the United States in 1972, when it established diplomatic relations with the Asian giant, assumed the commitment to respect the principle of one China and that Taiwan is part of China. However, “the arrival of the leading representative of the ruling party shows that at least one of the branches of government does not respect this principle,” Malena said.

Repeatedly, from Washington they have spoken in favor of the principle of a single China, and this Tuesday Pelosi argued that her visit does not contradict the policy of your country with respect to Taiwan. According to the professor from the Argentine Catholic University, the arrival of the president of the House of Representatives on the island is “one more step” in the American policy of containment of the Asian giant.

“Building a NATO” in Asia

“There’s going to be a active process of containment to China with the formation of a series of blocks such as the AUKUS and the adoption of strategic doctrines [por parte de EE.UU.]. The containment strategy rests on the gradual construction of a NATO for the Asia-Pacific region,” the interviewee suggested.

Following the arrival of Nancy Pelosi in Taipei, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army announced that it will “important exercises” with live fire in six maritime zones around Taiwan and their respective airspaces. The drills will last from August 4 to 7. In this regard, Jorge Malena commented that if the US congresswoman “wants to return to her country, you will have to do it right away in the next few hours”, otherwise, “she runs the risk” of being stranded on the island at least until next Monday.

However, the Argentine professor stressed that Beijing “he is being very moderate in this whole case”, urging a constructive dialogue. “I think that, in this particular situation, it will be diplomacy and moderation whoever holds the reins and not necessarily war hawks or military action,” he concluded.

• Beijing considers to Taiwan as an inalienable part of its territory, and insists that any negotiation with the island that bypasses the central government violates the key principle of its one-China policy. Most countries, including Russia, recognize the island as an integral part of the People’s Republic of China.
• Although Washington does not recognize Taiwan —which has governed itself since 1949 with its own administration, as an independent country—, it maintains a policy of strategic ambiguity towards the island, reserving the right to maintain special relations with Taipei, which, in its opinion, takes its own decisions.