My Take | Pelosi’s arrogance drowns out sensible voice from Down Under
- Tussle between former US House speaker and Australian ex-premier Paul Keating epitomises the danger America poses in Asia-Pacific
In the topsy-turvy world of America, “one China” can mean two countries, at least according to Nancy Pelosi. George Orwell once wrote that 2+2=5. For the former Democrat speaker of the US House of Representatives, 1=2. Seriously.
Fine, she can think and say whatever she likes, however ridiculous or dangerous. But it’s the height of arrogance for her to castigate a former leader of a key allied country that is located much closer to the flashpoint in the Taiwan Strait and, thanks to Washington, is increasingly being drawn into the dangerously unstable geopolitics in the South China Sea.
She has called former Australian Labor prime minister Paul Keating “ridiculous” and “stupid” when those descriptors would have been more appropriately applied to her. I also would add “dangerous”.
Keating has previously said it was not in Australia’s national and security interests to be drawn into a military conflict over Taiwan, and that the country has long been committed to a “one China” policy. The United States is also, at least notionally, committed to such a policy.
Upon being asked about Keating’s remarks on an Australian news programme, Pelosi responded: “That’s ridiculous. It [Taiwan] is not Chinese real estate, and he should know that. Taiwan is Taiwan, and it is the people of Taiwan who have a democracy there.”
That could have been the end of it, but she got more personal.
“[It] was a stupid statement to make, and I don’t know what his connection is to China that he would say such a thing,” she added. “But it is really not in the security interest of the Asia-Pacific region for people to talk that way.”