The Sadness of Washington, D.C.’s Politics

According to U.S. media reports, the Obama Administration will make a decision on selling weapons to Taiwan this month. With the approach of a decision with such implications for the U.S.-China relationship, congressmen are becoming more anxious. They used a lot of techniques to push for arms sales to Taiwan. This isn't the first time this has happened on Capitol Hill, but today’s scene shows revealed the complexity of the U.S.-China relationship.

There are two things we need to pay attention to when viewing the Washington, D.C. melodrama. First of all, this event was going on behind the scenes of the steady development of the U.S.-China relationship. Many big issues and global issues between the U.S. and China are waiting to be addressed via cooperation built on bilateral communication. Second of all, some important U.S. congressmen are trying to bundle arm sales to Taiwan with other bills, making it hard for the Obama administration to deny them. In addition to promoting arm sales to Taiwan, some congressmen even encouraged releasing the 2011 Motion on Taiwan Policy Actions, trying to strengthen Taiwan Relations Act.

Due to the importance of its relationship with China, Washington, D.C. has deliberately flaunted their so-called “relatively restrained attitude” toward the problem of arms sales to Taiwan. This was done through reducing the sale of sensitive weapons, choosing a certain time to do it to avoid affecting U.S.-China communication, etc. However, such attitude is just attitude; the nature of arms sales to Taiwan hasn’t been changed. Any arms sales to Taiwan is gross interference with China’s internal politics and will cause serious emotional harm to Chinese people’s feelings. Ultimately, it will have a huge, damaging impact on the U.S.-China relationship.

The Taiwan Relations Act is a malignant tumor that hinders the healthy development of U.S.-China relations. If the tumor is not removed, the trouble concerning arms sales to Taiwan will not be gone. What is regrettable is that Washington, D.C. doesn't have the courage to remove the tumor, and it is not even willing to control its malignant growth. Currently, some maniacs on Capitol Hill even clamor that they should reinforce and expand the tumor. Such actions are nothing but deviations from the advancement of the U.S.-China relationship and both countries' common interests.

It is not easy for China and the U.S. to have arrived at today’s situation, which needs extra care and full maintenance. Some American congressmen disregard the situation in general and are short-sighted, which may harm America’s own interests consequently. Let’s suppose that those congressmen’s hopes are realized; what would become of the U.S.-China relationship? What would its impact be on the world?

Having such crazy congressmen is the sadness of the U.S. politics. Washington, D.C. provides a stage for those people to perform, but today’s stage of U.S.-China relations has no place for those people. Once Cold War thinking and hegemonic dreams reappear, they must be struck down decisively. Some people like to step backward in history, but they must think of the heavy cost of such thoughts.

Any country in the world would not allow other countries to harm its core interests. China is no exception. We advise those crazy U.S. congressmen not to go too far and start a fire.