Trump’s Election Would Alter Cross-Strait Relations

Since the beginning of the U.S. elections, Donald Trump has been a dark horse with his unmatched popularity and leading approval ratings. Now, Trump is almost guaranteed to become the Republican presidential nominee. However, a lot of foreign media are worried and restless. While they worry about U.S. democracy, they fear more that Trump’s isolationism will cause the U.S. to completely withdraw from Asia, letting China sit back and reap the benefits. When that time comes, Taiwan-China relations will be altered without America.

A Financial Times editorial once stated that nobody wants to see Trump become president more than China. China, which has long endured Hillary Clinton’s outspoken criticism of its human rights record, is highly supportive of Trump’s isolationism. Moreover, even if Trump fails, his isolationism has had an impact on Washington’s strategic thinking. This will also heavily influence American activity in the Asia-Pacific region, removing much unwanted military or economic behavior and finally letting Beijing take command.

A Foreign Policy magazine article stated that a vote for Trump is a vote for China. If Trump is elected, it would strengthen the Chinese Communist Party’s place in the world, making China responsible for a portion of U.S. obligations. The Wall Street Journal wrote that Trump’s presidency would make China great again and take a firm stance in the Asia-Pacific region. Barron’s magazine wrote in a special column that Trump’s authoritarian tendencies would drag the U.S. back toward its pre-World War II state and wreck friendships with old allies, giving China a bigger opportunity to get involved in international affairs to enhance its influence. CNN wrote that China dislikes Clinton’s lawyerly proclivity, and Beijing finds it hard to deal with lawyers who like to set up rules.

More noteworthy is that The Diplomat said just last year that Trump’s Asia policy would be a disaster. If he is elected, first of all, he would withdraw the U.S. military from Asia. Second, he would eliminate U.S. forward presence in Asia, leaving several problems for locals to deal with. It implies that the South China Sea issue will also be left to China and surrounding countries. It implies an alteration in Taiwan-China relations, the probability of China’s hegemony in the Asia-Pacific region, Japan’s relations with its neighboring countries left for it and those countries alone to settle, and South Korea’s loss of grip on its tensions with North Korea.

If Trump’s slogan “Make America Great Again” really is built on isolationism from the international game, then the U.S. has fallen into a more painful abyss in every way.