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“Sorry” doesn’t cut it. Neither does punting on an issue that could turn a “dysfunctional” relationship between China and the United States into something far more serious

UN Secretary General Office Punts on Rising China-Taiwan Tensions



UN Secretary General Office Punts on Rising China-Taiwan TensionsUnited Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed concern last month about a possible “Cold War” breaking out between China and the United States unless they repair their “completely dysfunctional” relationship. But the Secretary General has avoided calling out the Chinese regime for its provocative military flights near southwestern Taiwan – 56 in just one day earlier this month - that are needlessly inflaming tensions in the region and are causing increased concerns in the United States over China's intentions.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. is by far the dominant maker of sophisticated chips in the world today

These flights breached Taiwan’s air defense identification zone. Taiwanese Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said that the situation “is the most severe in the 40 years since I’ve enlisted.” Earlier this year, a Chinese carrier group conducted exercises near Taiwan, which China’s navy announced will become a regular occurrence. China claims that Taiwan is a breakaway province that must be reunited with the Chinese mainland. “The historical task of the complete reunification of the motherland must be fulfilled, and will definitely be fulfilled,” Chinese President Xi Jinping said on October 9th. “Taiwan independence separatism is the biggest obstacle to achieving the reunification of the motherland, and the most serious hidden danger to national rejuvenation.” In the past, President Xi has threatened to use force. if necessary, to accomplish his goal of bringing Taiwan back into the fold. In his most recent remarks regarding Taiwan, Xi did not reiterate this threat of force against Taiwan, but his actions speak louder than his words. The regime is deliberately stepping up its harassment of Taiwan with its military maneuvers in the immediate vicinity of the self-governing island. Xi has also demonstrated that he means business with his crackdown on Hong Kong. Taiwan’s status is taking on increasing strategic importance in the global economy because Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. is by far the dominant maker of sophisticated chips in the world today. The Wall Street Journal noted in an article entitled “The World Relies on One Chip Maker in Taiwan, Leaving Everyone Vulnerable” earlier this year that “As more technologies require chips of mind-boggling complexity, more are coming from this one company, on an island that’s a focal point of tensions between the U.S. and China, which claims Taiwan as its own.”

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Taiwan will play an outsized role in the escalating tensions between China and the United States

There is a global shortage of such chips right now, creating worldwide supply bottlenecks adversely affecting the global economy. Until other countries, including the United States and China, can ramp up their own domestic manufacturing facilities to make their own sophisticated chips, the small island of Taiwan will play an outsized role in the escalating tensions between China and the United States. Nevertheless, Secretary General Guterres has carefully avoided speaking out about the Taiwan issue specifically, while limiting himself to generalities in what he characterized as the “completely dysfunctional” China-U.S. relationship. When the Secretary General’s spokesperson was asked on October 5th for Guterres’ reaction to the record number of military flights by the Chinese Air Force over the defensive area of Taiwan, the spokesperson responded: “I don't have any language on that for you at this very moment. I mean, I think the Secretary‑General is following many issues closely, but at this point, I don't have anything more to add.” The next day, on October 6th, Guterres’ spokesperson was given another opportunity to offer a more detailed response regarding the rising tension between Taiwan and China. All that the spokesperson said, however, was that “it is a situation that we are following closely.” A week later I asked the Secretary General’s spokesperson whether he had anything more to say about the rising tension. The spokesperson responded, “I have nothing to add to what I said previously on that issue.” In other words, he continued to dance around the Taiwan situation rather than take a position on the record. I also asked for the Secretary General’s comment on the problem of widespread supply chain bottlenecks in general and, in particular, the impact of Taiwan’s strategic position as virtually the sole source of global supply of sophisticated chips. The spokesperson responded: “On the global trade bottleneck, I personally don't have, right now, the intellectual bandwidth to make a comment. So, sorry.” “Sorry” doesn’t cut it. Neither does punting on an issue that could turn a “dysfunctional” relationship between China and the United States into something far more serious.


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Joseph A. Klein, CFP United Nations Columnist -- Bio and Archives

Joseph A. Klein is the author of Global Deception: The UN’s Stealth Assault on America’s Freedom.


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