America Needs To Reduce Tensions With China Over The Recent Surveilance Balloon Incident

Tensions between The United States and China have been growing for a long time now. These tensions have been evidenced by the increased threat to Taiwan’s independence coming from Beijing and by increasing threatening rhetoric and by military buildups in the affected areas, among other things. By now, the world should be pretty aware of the growing tensions between the West and China.

The recent incursion of a Chinese surveillance balloon into American airspace has done nothing to soothe those growing tensions but there might be some steps that could be taken to make the situation a lot less bad than it is now or that it might become.

For instance:

1. Apologies for the incident: The United States should publicly apologize for the outcome of the incident and should seek to enter some kind of agreement where the Chinese promise not to do any similar things in the future while offering the Chinese the same courtesy. A mutual agreement between the parties to eliminate any kind of mutual covert aerial spy operations. (“We won’t spy on you if you don’t spy on us.”)

2. Commit to transparency: The United States should commit to increased transparency in its military and surveillance activities in order to reduce tensions with China and should demand that China agree to the same thing.

3. Engage in dialogue: The United States should engage in dialogue with China to discuss the incident and explore ways to reduce tensions. Some kind of formal peace negotiations need to be happening right now so that tensions do not escalate to dangerous levels …I think a mutual non-aggression pact would be a good start.

4. Resolve trade disputes: The United States should work with China to resolve any ongoing trade disputes in order to reduce tensions.

5. Improve military relations: The United States should work to improve military-to-military relations with China by engaging in joint exercises and other forms of cooperation.

6. The United States should rethink the meaning of the “One China” policy and give up the idea of using our military power to engage China in a hot war if China should decide to exercise the option to take Taiwan back under Its wings.

And what is this “One China” Policy That America Subscribes To?

The “One China” policy is a policy that the United States subscribes to which acknowledges that there is only one China and that Taiwan is part of China.

Now if that is true, then I can’t help but wonder why president Biden would have taken it upon himself to more or less declare that America would go to war with China if China ever invades Taiwan. If the “One China” policy is true, then isn’t Taiwan already part of China and doesn’t China have the right to demand Her sovereign status over the island nation and doesn’t China have the right to enforce that sovereignty if she feels it is necessary to do so?

The policy was established in 1979 when the U.S. government recognized the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the sole legal government of China, while maintaining unofficial relations with the Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan.

Under this policy, the U.S. does not recognize any sovereignty over Taiwan, instead recognizing the PRC’s position that Taiwan is part of Chinese territory.

Has the United States now unilaterally decided that China has no right to enforce Taiwan being part of Chinese territory?

The U.S. maintains unofficial diplomatic ties with Taiwan and provides it with defense assistance, while refraining from any formal diplomatic recognition of Taiwan as an independent country. This policy is seen as a way to maintain peace and stability in the region while avoiding any potential conflict over Taiwan’s status.

The United States might be seen to be a way to maintain peace and stability in the area while avoiding any potential conflict over Taiwan’s status, but the recent jabber coming out of Washington seems to me to be in denial on that point and willing to go to military measures to prove some kind of point that looks to me like is out of touch with the reality of the situation.

I think the “One China” policy has to be adhered to or I believe it has to be re-written.

Biden has told somebody somewhere that the United States will never send troops onto Ukrainian soil during the current war there between Russia and Ukraine because, as he said, it would be the beginning of World War Three.

I want to know what the difference is between that statement and the one that Biden still has time to say; the statement that would say, “Hell No, we are not going to go to war if China invades Taiwan because that would be the start of World War III.”