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What the US’ ‘pivot’
may mean for Taiwan
By Nat Bellocchi 白樂崎
In the middle of last month, US President Barack Obama made a three-stop tour
with a primary focus on East Asia: He first attended the APEC summit in
Honolulu, then flew to Australia and finally headed to Bali to attend the East
Asia Summit.
At the APEC meeting, Obama pushed the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a
multilateral economic and trade agreement intended to boost free trade across
the Pacific. In Australia, he strengthened US-Australian defense and security
cooperation and announced that about 2,500 US Marines would be stationed in
Darwin, while in Bali the main theme was freedom of navigation in the South
China Sea.
These moves signal a renewed US emphasis on East Asia. The Obama administration
is talking about a strategic “pivoting” away from the Middle East, where the US
is winding down its engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan, toward East Asia.
This pivot to Asia recognizes that the region is an important driver in the
global economy. By making this move, the US also recognizes that for the US
economy to grow and prosper, it is essential to have a stable security
environment. By beefing up its economic and security presence in East Asia, the
US wants to ensure stability in the region.
This stability is being threatened by an increasingly belligerent China, which
is throwing its weight around at the expense of its neighbors, particularly
those that border the South China Sea and the island groups between Japan and
Taiwan. By making moves on both the economic and the security fronts, the US is
creating a multilateral economic and security network that is designed to
provide a strong foundation for the TPP.
What implications do these developments have for Taiwan? The increased US
presence is good for Taiwan because it ensures safety and security in the
region, in particular freedom of navigation in the all-important sea lanes
surrounding the island. Being an export economy, Taiwan is highly dependent on
free navigation through these waterways.
However, the new US approach also presents a valuable multilateral framework for
the region, of which Taiwan needs to be an integral part. Taipei’s policy over
the past few years has over-emphasized its bilateral ties with China, at the
expense of its relations with other key democratic countries in the region, such
as the US, as Japan and South Korea. This imbalance can now be redressed by
strengthening economic and security relations with democratic friends and
allies.
Thus, Taiwan needs to redouble its efforts to be included in preparations for
the TPP and in multilateral discussions on strategic issues, such as freedom of
navigation in the South China Sea. Taiwan is an important link in the chain of
countries stretching from Japan and South Korea in the north to Indonesia,
Australia and New Zealand in the south.
The importance of Taiwan as a key link in this chain also needs to be recognized
by the other countries in the region and they need to be more inclusive of the
nation as talks on the TPP and regional security get underway. Too often,
China’s perceived sensitivities leave Taiwan in limbo.
A May 2005 Businessweek article about Taiwan’s economic prowess titled “Why
Taiwan Matters” said: “The global economy couldn’t function without it.”
This remains true today, but even more importantly, it is a vibrant democracy
and its continued existence as a free and democratic nation is key to safety and
security in the Asia-Pacific region. And that is what Obama’s pivot is all
about.
Nat Bellocchi is a former chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan. The
views expressed in this article are his own.
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