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This is a letter in response to reader comments about a program “DANGEROUS STRAITS” by PBS:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/china/
Reader forum:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/china/talk/
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Dear FRONTLINE,
Several readers pointed out that the U.S. should not risk American lives to protect Taiwan against China. Indeed, why would, or should, America “spill her blood” on other people’s land for something that “seems to be” none of America’s business ?
What is so puzzling is that, for the past several decades, the U.S. government DID maintain an attitude that is/was opposite of that sentiment. Why ??? Is it that the American government has been so wrong for so many years, yet no one within the government has ever tried to fix it ? Or is there something missing in the above-mentioned mindset ?
Why should America protect Taiwan anyway ??? Is Taiwan’s “being free from from China” really none of American’s business ???
This brings us to one very crucial point which was missing, intentionally or not, from the episode of “Dangerous Straits:” the strategic role of Taiwan in terms of her geographical location.
About 100 miles off China’s eastern shores, Taiwan is on the western edge of the Pacific Ocean. To Taiwan’s north lies Korea and Japan. To her south, the Philippines. Together with Korean, Japan and the Philippines, Taiwan is one of the indispensable elements of a strategically defensive front line which seperates red China and the Pacific Ocean. If Taiwan falls into China’s hand, the entire Pacific Ocean will be wide open to China. This means that the American people will be face-to-face with red China across the Pacific Ocean. The U.S. and China will be staring at each other across the great expanse of the Pacific without any large in-between islands or land mass which the U.S. can claim as an ally.
Why does it matter? In the event of a crisis in eastern Asia, military or otherwise, the lack of islands that can be considered an ally to America may pose significant and serious logistical issues if the U.S. were to mass troops and other equipment for any contingency missions into or around China. One prime example is the current war in Afghanistan where the U.S. has had to use considerable diplomatic leverage in persuading the likes of Uzbekistan and Pakistan for the use of their facilities.
The strategic role that Taiwan plays has been so crucial that it has actually dictated, conscious or otherwise, the American’s policy toward Taiwan for half a century.
As for the argument that “face-to-face with China, so what?”, it depends on if you trust the Chinese government. Being a Taiwanese, I won’t. We have suffered enough.
