Former US ambassador advocates American military bases on Taiwan
By
Peter Symonds
19 January 2017
Former US ambassador to the UN John Bolton has provocatively advocated that the incoming Trump administration not only “revisit” the “One China” policy that has formed the basis of US-China relations for decades, but boost US military sales to Taiwan and station US military forces there. Basing American military units on Taiwan would set the stage for a major US confrontation and conflict with China.
Beijing has already responded to Trump’s declarations that he will adhere to the “One China” policy only if China makes major concessions by flatly declaring the issue “non-negotiable” and urging caution. Under the “One China” policy, Washington recognised Beijing as the sole legitimate government of all China, including Taiwan.
Bolton was among the most militarist figures in the George W. Bush administration. As an undersecretary of state and then UN ambassador, he staunchly defended the illegal US invasion of Iraq, supported the lies about weapons of mass destruction and advocated aggressive US measures against North Korea and Iran. He was high on Trump’s list of possible nominees for the key post of secretary of state and undoubtedly has strong links to the new administration.
Writing in the Wall Street Journal on Monday, Bolton declared: “[I]t is high time to revisit the ‘One China’ policy and decide what it means … We need strategically coherent priorities reflecting not 1972 but 2017, encompassing more than trade and monetary policy, and specifically including Taiwan. Let’s see how an increasingly belligerent China responds.”
In 1972, President Richard Nixon visited China, signalling an abrupt shift in foreign policy to enlist…