President-elect Donald Trump’s selections for United Nations ambassador, national security advisor, and, most significantly, secretary of state are considered as “China Hawks.”
Their selections have been widely applauded in Taiwan, including by those who did not favor the former and future president.
During the Republican National Convention in mid-July, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., expressed his expectation that if Trump is re-elected, he will continue to support Taiwan, as he did in his first term. Rubio, on the other hand, has agreed with Trump in pressing that Taiwan raise defense spending, a viewpoint held by security professionals but not necessarily by the majority of Taiwanese people.
Taiwanese President William Lai has yet to issue an official statement, but in 2019, while Lai was vice president to then-President Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed gratitude to Sen. Rubio and former Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., for rejecting Chinese President Xi Jinping’s proposal (or demand) that Taiwan accept “one country, two systems.”
This identical formula was supposed to apply to Hong Kong for 50 years following the handover in 1997, but it only lasted until around 2020, when China enforced harsh new restrictions. People in Hong Kong can now be imprisoned for nonviolent acts of protest, such as wearing a shirt that reads “Liberate Hong Kong.” An overwhelming majority of Taiwanese reject China’s “one country, two systems” policy and any other plan that would give authoritarian China power over democratic Taiwan.
Rubio is forthright about China, writing on X, “Communist China is not, and will never be, a friend to democratic nations.” Rubio introduced the “Taiwan Peace Through Strength Act,” a plan that would expedite US-Taiwan military cooperation, in May 2022. Rubio claimed in relation to the bill that “Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is not the first time an authoritarian regime invaded its neighbor and, unfortunately, it will not be the last.” An invasion of Taiwan could occur within this decade. Taiwan requires our assistance, and my law will make Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party think twice before launching a foolhardy invasion. We must do everything we can to prevent an attack on Taiwan, or we risk losing the Indo-Pacific region to China’s Communist Party.”
Rubio’s prospective appointment as secretary of state poses an issue for China, as the Florida Republican is banned, or, in more diplomatic terms, “sanctioned.” Rubio was one of 11 senators sanctioned by China in 2020 for “wrong U.S. behaviors … who have behaved egregiously on Hong Kong-related issues.”
It is unclear how to hold “meaningful dialogues” with a person barred from entering China. Any option, even rescinding the penalties, may make China appear weak. However, Wu Xinbo, a Fudan University professor and director of the Center for American Studies, expressed misgivings to Fox News Digital via email from Shanghai. “These China hawks will undoubtedly push the envelope on the Taiwan subject as much as they can,” said Wu, “but it may backfire, and the US will be scorched. I am not sure whether this is what Trump wants.”
So far, however, Trump appears to be delivering clear signals that his administration will not be all talk and no action. Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Florida, Trump’s pick for national security adviser, is at least as outspoken as Rubio. Waltz wrote in The Economist earlier this month that conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East must be “urgently” resolved so that the United States can “finally focus strategy attention where it should be: countering the greater threat from the Chinese Communist Party.”
Trump has also nominated his close ally, New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-NY, to be his ambassador to the UN. According to Richard Goldberg, Senior Adviser to the think-tank Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, Stefanik is expected to work towards leveraging American financial assistance across the U.N. system to root out Chinese malign influence, in addition to enthusiastically vetoing anti-Israel resolutions.
Rather predictably, netizens on China’s blocked internet responded with the familiar “who cares?” argument. Ross Darrell Feingold, a Taipei-based lawyer and rare American in Taiwan who is active on TouTiao, a Chinese social media platform, told Fox News Digital that comments he received in response to Rubio’s potential nomination included, “Doesn’t matter.” All US politicians are anti-China, and there is no such thing as ‘anti-China, pro-Taiwan.’ There is simply ‘anti-China’, and the United States isn’t sincere about supporting Taiwan.”
These bland responses may not reflect true feelings, given China’s amazing level of internet supervision, where even tiny departures from party lines can result in outright bans. However, one TouTiao user did note one of the key obstacles China faces with Rubio: “He won’t be able to visit because we sanctioned him.”
According to several sources, China’s youth unemployment rate ranges between 17 and 20%, and Trump’s tariffs are unlikely to help China create new jobs. Over the weekend, Chinese officials halted a practice in which tens of thousands of students rode bicycles about 30 miles at night to a historic city in central China’s Henan province. Flocks of students went on freezing rides with buddies who had no obvious political motivations. Some even carried enormous PRC flags, while others were filmed singing the Chinese national hymn.
However, as many have noted, what became known as the Tiananmen Square “Incident” began with crowds of enthusiastic students, some of whom sung patriotic songs.