Taiwan has become the center of China’s conflict with the world. One economy at a time, one government at a time, China has managed to insult the world. The Chinese have done such a good job of losing friends and alienating voters of foreign countries, not even Russia can afford the political cost of siding with China, not even to manipulate China behind a mask of feigned friendship. Don’t expect Moscow to take center-stage at China’s aid quite yet.
While the world hates China more and more every day, that hatred finds a way to express itself in love for Taiwan. Taiwan is now the grand alternative! Taiwan is the adorable poster puppy everyone should have sided with from the beginning. Taiwan needs military help, but most of all sympathy, compassion, and understanding, perhaps even grandstanding. Nothing sends the message that a nation is fed up with China like siding with adorable, cuddly Taiwan, especially on the most trivial things like medical masks or forcing Taiwan to call its team “Chinese [what the heck] Taipei” at the Olympics. Trivial things, after all, are what China loves to claim as some of the greatest threats to Communist-controlled national security.
It’s almost to the level of being an election tactic in Western democracies. Do or say something that couldn’t even hurt a fly, then China squeaks and bellows and throws such a fuss, voters love whichever politician China hates. Nothing is as adorable and benign as kindness toward Taiwan. So, that’s the story of how Taiwan became the world’s new favorite.
Trade & Tech
China Says It Will Act If U.S. Persists on WeChat, TikTok Ban // Bloomberg
China’s ByteDance aims to keep majority stake in TikTok in Oracle deal // MarketWatch
China
US spy planes posing as airliners ‘serious threat’ in South China Sea // SCMP
US issues new travel warning on China, Hong Kong // Taipei Times
Taiwan
Taiwan has once-in-a-lifetime chance to forge new alliances // Taiwan News
China Sends Warning to U.S. and Taiwan With Aerial Drill // NY Times
Trump Administration readies major arms sale to Taiwan // CNN
As Europe’s China scepticism grows, a glimmer of hope for Taiwan // Aljazeera
Chinese warship sails past Taiwan’s east coast // Taiwan News
Taiwan Aims to Help Foreign Air Forces Fix F-16 Fighter Jets, a Stab at China // VOA
Hong Kong
Hong Kong Is a Troubling Case Study in the Death of Democracy // Wired