Why Biden is better for Taiwan

The Taiwanese loved Trump, but is better off in almost every way after Joe Biden took office

As a Buttigieg to Bernie voter in the 2020 primary cycle, I had some dire predictions for the Joe Biden presidency, none of which came to pass. It was the most delicious plate of crow I’ve ever had to eat in my life. But of all the expectations that Joe Biden defied, the one which is most personally satisfying is how his administration has completely upended the conventional wisdom that he would go soft on China and abandon Taiwan.

It was a fear that was palpably pervasive in Taiwan in the run-up to the 2020 elections. Republicans are traditionally stauncher supporters of Taiwan publicly vs. the more realipolitik Democrats, who are much more poker-faced regarding their position. But Trump and his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo broke the mold for either party in how freely and heedlessly he upgraded Taiwan’s diplomatic status as a part of his US-China Trade War.

The Taiwanese ate it up. Of course they did. That’s what happens when politically marginalized people get attention. In a way, it’s what Trump did for his own supporters back in the US. Find a group that is desperate for any kind of recognition. Shower them with affirmation and promises. Then reap the political rewards in the form of their support while simultaneously planning to sell them down the river.

Thanks to John Bolton’s book, we know that Trump was playing Russian Roulette with the gun pointed at somebody else’s head:

Incredibly, that book came out in July 2020, but the Taiwanese Trumpers STILL went bonkers when he lost the election, with many of them changing their twitter profile pic to Trump and trading in the worst election conspiracy theories and Hunter Biden scuttlebutt. As a Democrat who also happens to be Taiwanese-American, I was in the uncomfortable position of cheering Biden on and trying to calm fellow Taiwanese while internally wondering what if it’s really true and Biden is about to roll back Trump-era diplomatic gains and feed Taiwan to the Wolf Warriors of China.

This was the picture that assuaged my fears:

This was Taiwanese envoy Hsiao Bi-khim invited to the inauguration of an American president for the first time since the US severed diplomatic relations more than 40 years ago. The way it was done was masterful. Information containment was so airtight the opposition KMT worked itself into a hysterical lather about how Taiwan is being shut out by the Biden Administration and we’re all DOOMED until Hsiao casually dropped the photo.

Unlike the Taiwanese Trumpers, it’s obvious the Tsai administration had excellent communication with both sides of the aisle in the US. Obviously this is how it should work in diplomatic relations. It would be quite a serious charge of meddling if the US had a clear preference in which party it would prefer in Taiwan. When it’s the other way around, it’s just a little…ridiculous.

In any case, it turned out the Biden administration stood firm on China. There was no reset. Biden kind of had no choice in the wake of China’s belligerent posturing, and we have no way of knowing the counterfactual of how much of that posturing was due to Trump’s provocations. Trump-era China sanctions are standing, and talks and visits to Taipei are continuing, with just a slight fade in the degree of visitor status, for instance former rather than sitting Senators:

Angelica Oung @AngelicaOung

This is how we do it. As @foreman_william wondered on our radio appearance, that chartered plane has a lot of seats in the back. Could those seats have been filled with ppl w very short haircuts and very upright postures we don't know about...

thediplomat.comBiden Delegation Pledges US Support for Taiwan Self-DefenseAsia-Pacific’s leading current affairs magazine.

What does Taiwan get in return for the slightly less lavish level of attention? Something that is much more important than posturing and presidential phonecalls: A stronger US, backed by allies. A little-known diplomatic coalition between the US, India, Japan and Australia known as “the Quad” has entered the chat.

Think about it this way…if you are stuck in a bar with a dangerous character who’s making the “draw the finger across the throat” sign at you from across the room, who would you rather have on your side?

The town drunk, who is looking to pick a fight with the dangerous character anyhow and loudly proclaiming how the two of you are going to take him down while everybody else slowly backs away?

Or the old-timer who quietly sizes up the situation and sits by your side without ostentation while texting all his buddies for backup?

Unfortunately, while it might seem obvious that a stronger America capable of calling upon allies is just BETTER FOR TAIWAN, a lot of people here in Taiwan are still nostalgic for the heady diplomatic attention of the Trump-era.

Mike Pompeo @mikepompeo

As a proponent of freedom, enjoying some Taiwanese dried pineapple. Checkmate.

This is a tweet of Mike Pompeo munching on #freedompineapples and declaring checkmate on China ridiculously early, given the relatively dire geopolitical position the US, China and Taiwan are still locked in. It is the “Mission Accomplished” photo of the Taiwan Straits. But guess what…Taiwanese people are still eating it up in the comments, calling for Pompeo to come to Taiwan and showering him with praise.

In a way it doesn’t matter. Unlike US constituents the Taiwanese can’t vote for Trump or Pompeo in an upcoming election. And it’s clear the people who actually have the reins of power in Taiwan are a little bit more sophisticated and savvy.

Still, I propose to add the term “pineapple munching” to the political lexicon to describe a party who declares empty solidarity to an ally without providing any actual support. As in “It’s easy for Pompeo to eat a bag of fruit, but munching pineapples is just pineapple munching unless it can be backed up with action like the Biden administration is doing with shoring up alliances.”