On June 8, 2023, the US Senate passed legislation aimed at stripping the Peoples Republic of China of its status as a developing nation at some international organisations as members of the US focus on competing with the Asian power.
The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the “Ending China’s Development Status Act” without any dissent. The bill would require the Secretary of State to pursue changing China’s nation status as a developing nation in international organisations.
The bill’s proponents said that status could allow certain privileges in some organisations and treaties. The committee’s approval paves the way for the measure to be fully considered by the full Senate, although there was no immediate indication of what might take place.
The desire for the hard line on China is one of the two truly bipartisan sentiments in the perennially divided US Congress. The US Congress members have introduced dozens of bills addressing competition with China’s communist government.
The Foreign Relations panel also approved the “Taiwan Protection and National Resilience Act” which would require reports from the government agencies on the US options to prepare for and respond to a potential and possible invasion by the “dragon” of Taiwan.
China views the democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has increased the military, political and economic pressures to assert those claims. Taiwan objected to the Chinese claim and said that only the island people could decide their future.
In 1949, the Communist Forces led by Lenin-inspired Mao Zedong defeated the KMT (Kuomintang Nationalist Party) led by Chiang-Kai -Shek (a Chinese warlord). The members and all those related to the Kuomintang Party were overpowered by the Communists and driven to the island of Taiwan.
The victorious Mao-Tse Tsung and his communist forces established the “Peoples Republic of China” (PRC), which is the present modern-day China. The Kuomintang Nationalist entities driven from mainland China named their island nation the Republic of China (ROC). The ROC is a democratic regime which is in sharp contrast to the PRC, which is an authoritarian, draconian Asian power.
In the contemporary era, the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) follows the “One China Policy.” Under this policy, the Communist nation firmly believes that only one China (the PRC) exists globally. The PRC asserts its claim to Taiwan and wishes to annex and unify it with mainland China.
The United States of America strongly favours and supports Taiwan politically as well as militarily. The Chinese hegemonic aggression in the Taiwan Strait by the Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and the Peoples Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) has prompted the US to defend the nation from the totalitarian dreams harboured by the PRC.
Taiwan is also a key and integral part of the Indo-Pacific Strategy of the United States of America.
The Taiwan Strait in the 21st century has become a geopolitical conflict hotspot or hotbed. There are numerous instances where the Chinese Navy, Air Force, and American forces conduct operations and aggressive military showdown near the identification zones.
The visit of Nancy Pelosi, an American politician and the 52nd Speaker of the House of Representatives, to Taiwan in 2022 led to escalating hostilities. China seriously warned the US for interfering in China’s territorial integrity and internal matters. However, despite the threat call made no difference to the United States of America. The Chinese knew they could not face the US’s technologically and power-projected armed forces.
However, there is some element of truth in the legislation passed by the Senate. The Chinese are rapidly increasing the force structure of its armed forces and have initiated a spree of military modernisation and capabilities. In the National Security Strategy of the US in 2022, Russia is an acute threat, whereas the PRC is considered one of the most dangerous threats not just for America but for the entire world order.
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