Taiwan comments show US will keep using allies in narrative war with Beijing: Chinese analysts

Name: China’s military simulates precision strikes on Taiwan after island’s leader returns from US visit
Uploaded: 2023-04-26T03:00:09.000Z
Duration: 4 min 17 s
Description: China’s military simulates precision strikes on Taiwan after island’s leader returns from US visit

Beijing sees Taiwan as a domestic matter, but recent comments from South Korean president and British foreign secretary suggest the opposite

Stepped-up rhetoric could be part of US efforts to push a lie until it becomes the truth, according to one observer

Reading Time:3 minutes

Why you can trust SCMP

99+

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s comments comparing Taiwan to the North Korean issue have sparked a diplomatic row with Beijing. Photo: Reuters

Laura Zhou

Published: 11:00am, 26 Apr 2023Updated: 1:25pm, 26 Apr 2023

Washington is expected to continue its narrative war against Beijing by mobilising allies to portray Taiwan as a global issue, according to observers in mainland China.

This comes days after South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in an interview with Reuters equated Taiwan with North Korea as a “global issue”, triggering a diplomatic row with Beijing.

Yoon’s remarks, made ahead of his state visit to the United States this week to mark the 70th anniversary of their treaty alliance, appeared to signal a departure from Seoul’s long-held ambiguous stance on Taiwan – now a major regional flashpoint as the US-Chinese big power rivalry intensifies.

04:17

China’s military simulates precision strikes on Taiwan after island’s leader returns from US visit

Yoon’s comments came days after James Cleverly, the British foreign secretary, also said he “fundamentally disagreed” with the idea that the Taiwan issue was a domestic matter for Beijing.

It would be in “everybody’s interests” if there was a peaceful resolution to the situation over Taiwan, Cleverly told The Guardian on the sidelines of the Group of 7 foreign ministers’ meeting in Japan.

Zhu Songling, a Taiwan affairs specialist at Beijing Union University, said the stepped- up rhetoric could be seen as part of Washington’s efforts to double down on its narrative war against China.

“They are now laying the groundwork for public opinion, then will create theoretical backing, paving the way for eventually meddling further in the Taiwan issue,” Zhu said.