US official calls China root of Taiwan Strait instability, urges joint international action

Director-General Lei Yan-feng of Taiwan's Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Chicago penned an op-ed in the Chicago Tribune on the 26th of this month, pointing out that China is the root cause of instability across the Taiwan Strait and calling on the international community to face the situation and respond accordingly. Lei emphasized in the article that in recent years, Beijing has continuously employed "gray-zone" tactics—including military exercises, warplanes circling Taiwan, maritime patrols, and political pressure on Taiwan—in an attempt to alter the status quo and weaken Taiwan's defense capabilities. These actions not only challenge the security reality of the Taiwan Strait but also exert a negative impact on the overall stability of the Asia-Pacific region.

The Taiwan Strait issue has been the focus of regional security since the 1990s. Following Taiwan's first direct presidential election in 1996, China launched military demonstrations during the Taiwan Strait Crisis. Subsequent "anti-secession" exercises and the "Joint Sword" series of military operations have demonstrated a continuous escalation of Beijing's military deterrence strategy. In recent years, with the intensification of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and diplomatic support, China has more frequently utilized air and naval resources to create a pressure zone around Taiwan, intending to isolate Taiwan on the international stage without directly launching a war. Lei's op-ed specifically targeted this "gray-zone" operational model, arguing that it has surpassed traditional diplomatic disputes and evolved into a systematic disruption of international rules.

On the international level, stability in the Taiwan Strait is inextricably linked to global supply chains and maritime shipping safety. Taiwan is the core of the global semiconductor industry, and any escalation of conflict could spill over and disrupt the supply of the global tech industry. Lei pointed out that Beijing's actions are not merely regional provocations, but a challenge to the rules-based international order. If the world fails to take a unified and forceful response, it risks providing a precedent for other major powers to follow, further undermining the effectiveness of international law and multilateral mechanisms.

The U.S. position on the Taiwan Strait issue has undergone fine-tuning between "strategic ambiguity" and "strategic clarity" in recent years. Since 2022, the U.S. government has repeatedly reaffirmed its defense commitments to Taiwan while strengthening security cooperation with Asia-Pacific allies such as Japan and Australia. Lei's op-ed echoed the internal consensus within the U.S. regarding the strengthening of the Indo-Pacific strategy, arguing that an effective counterweight to Beijing's gray-zone tactics can only be formed through the United Nations, Indo-Pacific security frameworks, and regional multilateral mechanisms.

For Taiwan, while facing external pressure, it must also continuously enhance its own defense resilience and diplomatic visibility. In recent years, the Taiwan government has actively promoted "resilient defense" and "diversified diplomacy" policies, strengthening the domestic defense industry and deepening cooperation with European and Southeast Asian countries. Lei's statement is not only a condemnation of Beijing's behavior, but also a reminder that Taiwan's security is not merely a cross-strait issue, but a matter of public safety of common concern to the international community.

In summary, Lei's accusation in the op-ed that China uses gray-zone strategies to undermine Asia-Pacific stability highlights that the Taiwan Strait issue has escalated from a regional conflict into a testing ground for the international order. If the international community wishes to maintain a rules-based order in the future, it must forge a concerted effort across diplomatic, economic, and security dimensions to give a clear and sustained response to Beijing's provocative actions. Only by doing so can the deterioration of the situation in the Taiwan Strait be prevented, and the peace and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific and the world at large be safeguarded.