Recently, US President Joe Biden signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025. This record-breaking USD 895 billion military budget highlights Washington's insatiable appetite for military spending. To justify this enormous expenditure, the act mentions China dozens of times, exaggerates the so-called "China threat," and interferes in Taiwan question. It advocates for military support to Taiwan and sends gravely erroneous signals to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces.
The US blatantly interferes in China's internal affairs in this US domestic legislation. For instance, the act suggests Taiwan's participation in the 2025 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) military exercise, promotes multilateral (especially European) cooperation to enhance Taiwan's "security," and allocates funds to strengthen Taiwan's so-called "self-defense capabilities." These measures effectively "fan the flames" and provide tools to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, incite cross-Strait confrontation and push Taiwan towards a dangerous situation of war.
Currently, the US government is undergoing a transition. The US has taken numerous actions regarding Taiwan over the past month. From approving USD 385 million in arms sales to Taiwan, to announcing USD 571.3 million in military aid, and approving another USD 295 million arms sales, why is the US stepping up its efforts to "arm" Taiwan?
Liu Kuangyu, an associate research fellow at the Institute of Taiwan Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that the US government's recent series of military aid and arms sales to Taiwan have dual considerations. First, it aims to maximize the interests of relevant interest groups and political parties while responding to the pressure from the US military-industrial complex to expedite arms sales. This demonstrates that the Taiwan question has long been a tool for the US to sustain its military-industrial complex and an excuse to support the annual increase in military spending. Second, these moves are creating some messes and adding troubles to the next government in dealing with China-US relations. Whether this strategy drains Taiwan's resources or pushes its people into greater peril is not a concern for the US government.
Regardless of the reasons, the US's recent actions seriously violate the one-China principle and the spirit of the three China-US joint communiqués. Additionally, these actions also breach US political commitments to China. Last month, during a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden in Lima, capital of Peru, President Xi outlined seven experiences from recent China-US interactions and four red lines, with the Taiwan question being the foremost among those red lines. President Biden reaffirmed the US' political commitments, stating that the US does not seek a "new Cold War" with China and does not support "Taiwan independence." The words are still fresh, but the US continues to play the role of a double-dealer and sows more trouble for the situation in the Taiwan Strait.
In fact, on the Taiwan question, China has repeatedly emphasized that it is at the very core of China's core interests and the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations. Historical practice demonstrates that adhering to the one-China principle enables stable China-US relations and peace in the Taiwan Strait. Conversely, undermining the one-China principle leads to setbacks in China-US relations and poses severe challenges to regional stability.
The US will inaugurate a new administration in just over 20 days. If the US genuinely wishes to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, it should handle Taiwan-related issues with the utmost caution, adhere to the three China-US joint communiqués, honor its political commitments to China, unequivocally oppose "Taiwan independence," and support China's peaceful reunification. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. Any discerning observer of cross-Strait relations can see that US-made weapons cannot alter the balance of power across the Taiwan Strait , nor can they obstruct the inevitable historical trend of China's reunification.
Editor's note: Originally published on news.cri.cn, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
