US Brandishing of Sanctions Stick Serious Threat to Development of Global Stability

Originally, “sanctions” referred to severe restraints on criminal behavior. In the modern political sense, it refers to coercive actions taken against a country by international organizations, individual states or countries collectively. In addition to forceful sanctions, sanctions in the modern international community generally take the form of embargoes on arms, food, technical equipment and other goods; suspension of diplomatic relations and the movement of personnel; and the reduction or suspension of loans, trade and aid. However, all reasonable sanctions are predicated on the target country or region’s having committed a wrongful act that is contrary to international norms, detrimental to regional security or harmful to humanitarian concerns. Furthermore, such sanctions are also predicated on the manner, extent and scope to which they accord with the principle of proportionality.

In early August 2022 and despite strong opposition from China, Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited China’s Taiwan region in her official capacity, causing huge ripples around the world. After the Chinese government took appropriate countermeasures, some Western media misrepresented the facts and accused China of overreacting, escalating and using the moment to use the Taiwan region to punish the U.S. and the world along with it. But to determine the truth and who really wields the “sanctions stick,” we must return to and scrutinize the source of China and the U.S.’ recent actions if we are to set the record straight and have a clear understanding of the facts.

Pelosi’s Objective in Scurrying off to China’s Taiwan Region despite Warnings from China: To Contain China’s Development by Interfering in Its Internal Affairs

Speaker Pelosi planned to China’s Taiwan region as early as April, but the trip was postponed because she tested positive for COVID-19. On the evening of Aug. 2, Pelosi made a roundabout stopover in Taipei despite repeated warnings from the Chinese government and amid controversial pressure from the U.S. She explained the trip was meant to implement “the United States’ commitment to democracy in Taiwan,”* but essentially the real purpose of her visit was to contain China’s development on both the political and economic fronts.

For one thing, as stipulated in the U.S.-China Three Joint Communiqués, the U.S. can only maintain cultural, commercial and other unofficial relations with Taiwan. Yet, Pelosi willfully visited Taiwan despite China’s warnings, publicly stating while there that she was representing the U.S. and acknowledging that it was an official visit. Such actions knowingly trample China’s sovereign dignity, undermine its territorial integrity, deliberately fan the flames of the Taiwan independence movement and upset the stability of the Taiwan Strait region. Furthermore, Pelosi met with “human rights and democracy activists” in Taipei, taking the opportunity to promote anti-Chinese and anti-communist positions as well as ideological prejudices. Political ploys such as these are a flagrant attack on China’s political system, a purposeful attempt to win over other countries against China and an intentional assault on the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, all in hopes of tarnishing the legitimacy of China’s long-standing achievements and impeding the sustainability of its future development.

For another, as speaker of the House of Representatives, Pelosi was actively lobbying for the CHIPS and Science Act to be pushed through Congress even before her visit. Leaving aside the furor over Pelosi’s husband’s purchase of massive quantities of shares in a related semiconductor giant before the vote on the bill, the content of the bill alone, which requires semiconductor companies funded by bill to refrain from building or expanding advanced semiconductor manufacturing plants in China for 10 years, clearly reveals an unwarranted scheme to restrict normal economic, trade and investment activities of relevant companies in China.

In addition, during her visit to Taiwan, Pelosi’s major activity seems to have been lunch with executives of Taiwanese chip manufacturing companies such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company and Pegatron. Taiwanese media reported that Pelosi also had one-on-one talks with TSMC Chairman Liu Deyin, urging TSMC to further invest in plant expansion in Arizona in keeping with the CHIPS and Science Act. Pelosi and the U.S.’ actions are intended to make chip companies choose China and the U.S., coercing them into disengaging from China at their own expense. For the sake of “industrial security” and “U.S. interests,” the U.S. is not just seeking to curb the development prospects of the Chinese market but is also hurting the economic interests of U.S. and Taiwanese companies. Simply put, this is a type of unilateral sanction that runs counter to free market principles and is as unwarranted as it is irrational.

Reasonable and Restrained Countermeasures from the Chinese Government

In response to the provocation of Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, the Chinese government promptly adopted three countermeasures: It conducted military exercises and training activities in the waters near Taiwan Island, halted imports of a small number of agricultural products from and exports of natural sand to the Taiwan region, imposed sanctions on Pelosi and her immediate family members and temporarily suspended official consultations and cooperation between China and the U.S. in certain areas. These countermeasures are, without exception rational, lawful and measured.

First, China’s recent military exercises near the island of Taiwan are a response and warning to the U.S. for threatening the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait. If the U.S. government is really intent on pursuing the One China principle, it should know that Taiwan is part of China’s territory, and that the land, airspace and waters of the Taiwan region are China’s land, airspace and territorial waters. The government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legitimate government representing all of China. The Chinese military conducts military exercises and training activities in the waters near the Chinese island of Taiwan, and such measures are open and appropriate, in line with domestic and international law and practice and are not military sanctions against the Taiwan region or other countries.

Second, there are reasons for the mainland to halt imports of a small number of Taiwan’s agricultural products. Previously, the mainland had also stopped importing pineapples, sugar apples, wax apples, groupers and other agricultural products from Taiwan because of mealybugs and the detection of the banned medication, malachite green. This time, imports of Taiwanese agricultural goods such as citrus fruits, frozen beltfish and frozen mackerel were halted because of issues related to the presence of harmful organisms, excessive drug residues and positive tests for COVID-19. These problems pertaining to the safety and quality of Taiwanese agricultural imports are recurring, so it is not simply an act of sanctions in response to the latest incident.

Then, CNN Business reported that natural sand, the export of which the mainland has suspended to Taiwan, is a key raw material in the production of semiconductor chips. However, Bloomberg News has clarified that the natural sand subject to suspension can only be used to manufacture glass and concrete. Since 2005, the mainland region has formulated macro-control policies aimed at curbing exports of natural sand and other highly polluting, energy-intensive and resource-based products and has placed a total ban on natural sand exports since March 1, 2007. However, considering the lack of sand and gravel resources in the Taiwan region, and given the fact that more than 95% of natural sand imports come from the mainland and bolster Taiwan’s economic development and its people’s livelihoods, it was agreed that exports of natural sand to Taiwan would resume as of March 10, 2008. The suspension of natural sand exports to Taiwan is in keeping with the principle of protecting resources and the environment and achieving sustainable economic development. As far as the Taiwan region is concerned, the mainland’s actions simply amount to refusing to make concessions on natural sand resources. They are not intended to punish or sanction the island’s construction industry, nor do they violate the principles of free trade and the market economy.

Finally, China’s decision to impose sanctions on Pelosi and her immediate family is lawful in the People’s Republic of China. This is a reasonable countermeasure in the face of Pelosi’s egregious provocations, particularly her insistence on visiting Taiwan despite China’s grave concerns and resolute opposition, her interference in China’s internal affairs, the damage done to China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, her trampling of the One China principle and her serious threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. The termination of official consultations and cooperation in certain matters between China and the U.S. is a warning and response to the U.S.’ willful bad-faith behavior. These measures are justified and limited in scope, and they are neither detrimental to the long-term interests of the American people, nor do they represent unwarranted sanctions against the U.S. and the world.

Between the US and China, Who Actually Wields the Sanctions Stick?

The U.S. has long imposed unilateral sanctions on countries and regions that do not comply to U.S. expectations, enforcing American values and interfering with other countries’ paths toward independent development. Since 1979, Iran, Libya, Iraq, North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba, Afghanistan, Russia and other countries have been subjected to a number of unilateral sanctions, including restrictions on investment, food embargoes, foreign exchange freezes and deposit plundering, all of which the U.S. has led and implemented. These sanctions not only undermined the economic and social development of the target countries but wreaked serious humanitarian disaster. According to a report by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, as of fiscal year 2021, the U.S. had imposed more than 9,400 sanctions, making it the world’s only “sanctions superpower.” Since the current Russia-Ukraine conflict, the U.S. has sold weapons and ammunition to Ukraine while marshaling its allies to impose massive sanctions on Russia. These actions show scant regard for the stability and development of both the Russian-Ukrainian region and the European region as a whole and seek only to reap their own benefits.

On issues such as Hong Kong and Xinjiang, the U.S. has also slandered and misrepresented facts in suppressing China, imposing its sanctions on related Chinese organs of state, organizations and state employees; and grossly interfering in China’s internal affairs. To this end, on June 10, 2021, the 29th Session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People’s Congress adopted the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law. However, since the adoption of this law, the Chinese government has rarely imposed sanctions on foreign governments or personnel, with any existing sanctions amounting to legally sound, morally principled and reciprocal countermeasures.

In sum, the U.S. does not just have a tradition of abusive economic coercion and violence but often uses sanctions as the preferred solution to diplomatic problems, causing permanent harm and irreparable damage to regions, countries and people. Pelosi’s wayward stopover in Taiwan is a covert, unilateral sanction aimed at containing China’s continued development, once again exposing the hegemonic nature of the U.S. and the barbarism, cruelty and harmfulness of power politics. China’s countermeasures, on the other hand, are designed to safeguard its legitimate right to development, and China has kept the scope and extent of the related measures proportional and restrained without harming the long-term economic and social development interests of other countries and people. Ultimately, the answer to the question of who is recklessly wielding the sanctions stick is self-evident.

The author is an assistant researcher at Tsinghua University’s Institute of Taiwan Studies, Beijing.

*Translator’s Note: While accurately translated here, English-language sources speak of “honoring” or “upholding” the U.S.’ commitment and not of “implementing” them.