All opinions expressed in this article are solely the opinions of the contributors.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy ignored warnings from China and met with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, albeit in California rather than in Taiwan. The location was seen by some analysts as a sort of compromise to lessen Beijing’s anger about the meeting taking place because McCarthy originally wanted to meet in Taipei.
Meanwhile, Taiwan has seen its isolation grow as Honduras dropped its recognition of Taiwan and allied with China. Straight Arrow News contributor Peter Zeihan suggests that’s not as meaningful an action as some would think because, ultimately, what matters to Taiwan and its long-term future is that its relationship with the U.S. is secure.
Excerpted from Peter’s April 6 “Zeihan on Geopolitics” newsletter:
Today’s rainbow is brought to you by Wanaka, New Zealand. For those following Chinese relations, you’ve probably heard that Honduras just dropped its recognition of Taiwan to establish ties with mainland China. President Tsai responded with a trip to Central America to shore up diplomatic support, but will any of this determine the status of relations between Taiwan, China and the rest of the world?
While all this makes for good theater, all that matters is where the money and weapons go. And the country to watch is the U.S.
Taiwan and U.S. trade negotiations are already underway and will likely be wrapped up here soon. Once they’ve reached an agreement and Taiwan becomes a fully integrated trade partner, they’ll be treated as an independent country in every capacity but name.
