The Delicate Balance in the US-Taiwan relations

In the eight years of government under Chen Shui-bian, Taiwan followed the “scorched earth diplomacy”, when the destination of the President’s flight was unknown, and the “shuttle diplomacy”, when the President visited many different countries. The Chen Shui-bian government used many styles with little success. These visits kept testing the U.S.’s attitude towards Taiwan, causing US-Taiwan relations to decline to an all-time low.

After Ma Ying-Jeou became President, Taiwan’s foreign policy underwent a 180-degree change. First, there was a truce in foreign policy toward Beijing, which was well-received. Now, Taiwan adopts a “flexible diplomacy”, promises no surprises, and seeks to build mutual trust between the U.S. and Taiwan.

Recently, President Ma made a visit to San Francisco. He spoke with ex-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who acknowledged changes in Ma’s mainland and foreign policies. She also praised the constructive interaction between the mainland and Taiwan under his leadership.

The year before, Chen Shui-bian pushed for public voting to support Taiwan’s entry into the United Nations. Rice, who was the U.S. Secretary of State at the time, criticized this as an aggressive policy. Two years later, Rice praised Ma’s “flexible diplomacy” for helping the U.S. This drastic change rose from the subtle changes in the US-Taiwan relations.

America is consistent in its attitudes towards Ma’s government. Richard Bush, Former Chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan, who met Ma on his last trip to America, more than once described the US-Taiwan relations as “sunny”.

America’s change in attitude towards Taiwan is mainly determined by the mainland and foreign policies of Ma Ying-Jeou’s government. Nevertheless, the fact that Obama has changed the style of America’s foreign policy plays a part. President Obama disagrees with former President Bush’s aggressive invasion of other countries. He has made an effort to turn violence into harmony with his visit to the Middle East, saying that foreign policy now is aimed at maintaining peace; he has also apologized for the crises caused by America’s old unilateral policy.

It is due to Obama’s efforts to make peace are responsible for the greater US-Taiwan interaction. With America’s tolerance, relations between the mainland and Taiwan have improved. During her visit to Beijing this past March, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, urged China to give Taiwan more room on the international stage and welcomed efforts by Ma’s government to improve Sino-Taiwan relations. As trust between America and Taiwan gradually returns, the channels of communication are being restored. This is a result of the efforts by Ma’s government for the past year.

As the Ma administration carefully pushes for reconciliation between China and Taiwan, it also looks to normalize US-Taiwan relations, in order to maintain a balance among America, China, and Taiwan. This is a political challenge of the highest difficulty.