From today’s New York Times:
The article is here. My take, in seven points:
1. To gobble up Taiwan is Xi Jinping’s fondest desire. Xi keeps saying so, and therefore detecting the nature of Xi’s fondest desire is possible even for one of the meanest intelligence. Trump is of the meanest intelligence, and therefore he has no trouble reading Xi’s mind on this score.
2. Trump does not give a rat’s ass about Taiwan.
3. Nor does Trump give a rat’s ass about consensus foreign policy, as set forth in the letter reproduced below.
4. To Trump’s sociopathic mind, this is the most brilliant of golden opportunities: give up something about which he does not give a rat’s ass in exchange for something, or some things, of considerable value to him.
5. Accordingly, major league backstabbing is on the agenda. But on the road to the big time betrayal, Trump is doing to play a little footsie with the leaders of Taiwan, for two reasons: (a) because of the somewhat remote possibility that Taiwan might outbid China, or (b), failing a superior Taiwanese offer, at least as a motivation for Xi to cough up something that Trump really, really wants.
6. The Chinese know exactly what’s going on, and they’re going to know exactly how to manipulate Trump.
7. When the dust settles, Taiwan is going to be a province of the People’s Republic, and Trump is going to look even worse than he already looks. This will be a signal achi part.
The Letter from 12 Senators
The Honorable Marco Rubio
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520
Dear Secretary Rubio,
We write to reaffirm congressional support for the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) and our firm belief that there should be no unilateral changes to this policy nor any new declaratory policy on Taiwan, consistent with longstanding U.S. commitments including the Six Assurances President Reagan articulated.
For nearly five decades, the TRA has been the cornerstone of U.S.-Taiwan ties, enabling a strong and mutually beneficial relationship. This bipartisan law requires the United States to provide Taiwan – a critical economic and technological partner, and a thriving democracy – defense articles and services necessary to maintain the island’s self-defense capability.¹ The TRA further states that the United States would consider any attempt to determine Taiwan’s future by non-peaceful means to be “a threat to the peace and security of the Western Pacific,” and of “grave concern.”²
Our commitment to this legislation has long helped ensure peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait – which is essential to U.S. interests there and across the Indo-Pacific. Maintaining this commitment is necessary to ensure the credibility of U.S. security commitments to allies and partners in the region and beyond.
During your tenure in the U.S. Senate, you consistently demonstrated strong support for U.S.-Taiwan relations and for the TRA. In 2017, you joined a bipartisan letter to President Trump stating that the “One China policy, based on the [Taiwan Relations] Act, the Three Joint Communiques and the Six Assurances […] provides the basis for our enduring relationship with Taiwan.” You further emphasized the “bipartisan commitment that we must not waver in providing necessary support for Taiwan to defend itself in the face of China’s ongoing military aggression and the cross-Strait military imbalance.”³
These principles remain true and necessary today. In the spirit of longstanding bipartisan support for the U.S.-Taiwan relationship, we stand ready to work with your administration to further strengthen this partnership.
Sincerely,
Michael F. Bennet
United States Senator
John Curtis
United States Senator
Andy Kim
United States Senator
Thom Tillis
United States Senator
Tim Kaine
United States Senator
Christopher A. Coons
United States Senator
Jeffrey A. Merkley
United States Senator
Chris Van Hollen
United States Senator
Tammy Duckworth
United States Senator
Elissa Slotkin
United States Senator
Brian Schatz
United States Senator
Mitch McConnell
United States Senator
¹ Taiwan Relations Act, 22 U.S.C. §§ 3301–3316.[1]
² Taiwan Relations Act, 22 U.S.C. §§ 3301–3316.[1]
³ 2017 bipartisan senators’ letter to President Trump on Taiwan defense, cited in the current letter.[3][1]
Facing MAGA 