In a time when international law does not function, every state wants to protect itself and achieve the strategic goals it has set. The goal that Beijing has set for years is to reunify the island of Taiwan with China. Although Beijing is concerned about the continuation of the war in Russia-Ukraine and the Middle East, it is also considering the resolution of the Taiwan issue under current circumstances.
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated at a press conference held during the session of the 14th National People's Congress that Taiwan has never been and will never be an independent state. According to the minister, Taiwan has been considered an integral part of China since ancient times and the island cannot now or in the future attain the status of a separate state. Wang Yi said that Taiwan's return to China's fold is part of the Chinese people's victory against Japan in the war as well as the results of the Second World War. The Chinese foreign minister also did not forget to refer to the UN resolution. Wang Yi said that Japan's Act of Surrender in the Second World War, as well as UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 and other international legal documents clearly confirm Taiwan's status.
The Chinese foreign minister also did not forget to threaten Japan in his statement. Wang Yi called on Japan to learn lessons from history and not to attempt to restore its militarist course under the pretext of imaginary threats. The minister expressed hope that the Japanese people would open their eyes and would not allow anyone to exaggerate their power or repeat the mistakes of the past with these words: "The grown and strengthened China and its 1.4 billion citizens will no longer allow anyone to justify colonialism." The Chinese foreign minister said these words because Japan has decided to increase its military power. The Japanese government will increase military spending in the budget for this purpose. This is related to Tokyo's concern over China's increasing military power in the region and the increasing number of China-Russia joint exercises near Japanese waters. The United States has given the green light for Japan to increase its military spending for the first time since the Second World War.
Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, in one of her statements, declared that China's military intervention in Taiwan would be a threat to her country. This declaration further strained the relations between China and Japan. The Chinese foreign minister explained Beijing's position on the Taiwan issue remains unchanged: "Attempts to create 'two Chinas' or a 'one China - one Taiwan' model in international relations are doomed to fail."
Does the Chinese foreign minister's recent statement mean that while the international community's attention is focused on the wars in Russia-Ukraine and the Middle East, Beijing is planning to seize Taiwan?
Although they consider this in Beijing, they also weigh the risks. The war in the Middle East has begun to deplete China’s oil reserves. On the other hand, the US and Israel’s war against Iran has endangered China's investments in Middle Eastern countries. China itself has unresolved problems with real estate crises and domestic debt. China's annual economic growth rate has fallen to its lowest level since 1991. A military operation to seize Taiwan will only increase China’s problems. Although the United States is conducting a war in the Middle East, it will not remain a spectator in Beijing’s operation to seize the island of Taiwan. A war around the island would ignite the trade war between China and the US. This would mean additional problems for China’s economy. Therefore, Beijing is forced to postpone the operation to seize Taiwan indefinitely.
"Atlas" Research Center