Calls grow for US to rein in Lai

Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te's radical militarist and separatist agenda has placed him in an "all-or-nothing" situation, as a growing number of voices in the United States call for Washington to rein in Lai to prevent an escalation of cross-Strait tensions, according to experts.

Since taking office last year, Lai has repeatedly claimed the island and the Chinese mainland are not "subordinate to one another" and vowed to gradually increase the defense budget to 5 percent of the island's GDP.

Thomas Friedman, a New York Times columnist and political commentator, said on Nov 5, "The old days when you could be sure you had an American president who had your back — those days are over."

Friedman made the remarks in a video speech at a seminar in Taipei, suggesting that Taiwan should refrain from taking drastic actions, continue developing its economy, and remain "cooperative, peaceful, and low-key".

Following the apparent omission of the Taiwan question during the recent summit between Chinese and US leaders, Friedman's comments once again sparked debate on the island over the strategy of the Democratic Progressive Party authorities.

Just two weeks earlier, Time magazine published an article titled "The US Must Be Aware of Taiwan's Reckless Leader", describing Lai as "reckless and brash". Commentators in Taiwan viewed these remarks as a warning to Lai, though the DPP authorities did not respond.

Su Chi, a veteran politician in Taiwan who previously served as secretary-general of the "national security council" and former chairman of the "mainland affairs council", said the island's long-standing assumption that "the US will surely come to the rescue" has been fundamentally shaken. He added that Taiwan should seek dialogue and negotiations with the mainland to avoid conflict.

A research report released by RAND Corporation, a US nonprofit research organization, on Oct 14 suggested that Washington should "create the maximum incentive for Beijing to pursue gradual approaches to realizing its ultimate goal", while outlining ways for the US to stabilize the situation and prevent Taiwan's actions from escalating tensions with the mainland.

Peng Qing'en, a spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a recent news conference that an increasing number of people have recognized Lai as a "troublemaker" and a "peace disruptor".

"To maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, it is necessary to curb Lai and the DPP authorities' provocations in pursuit of 'Taiwan independence'," Peng said.

Experts noted that such opinions reflect a more rational trend emerging in the US and believe that similar views will become more common as China's national strength continues to grow.

Huang Ching-hsien, director of the research center for Taiwan politics at Nankai University in Tianjin, said that while a major policy shift in Washington may take time, the recent changes in public discourse show that the era of "unconditional US support for Taiwan "has ended.

He described the DPP's current position as "all-or-nothing", adding that "more and more people in Taiwan have begun to recognize this reality based on recent moves by the US".

"As the mainland adopts more effective measures toward Taiwan, the US will come to realize that its attempts to interfere in cross-Strait relations through external means are becoming increasingly ineffective, prompting a policy adjustment accordingly," Huang added.

Zhu Guilan, an assistant professor at Tsinghua University's Institute for Taiwan Studies, said these emerging voices reflect a trend among US strategic communities to adopt a more pragmatic approach to risk management in light of China's growing strength.

"This reflects the narrowing power gap between China and the US, as well as the gradual marginalization of the Taiwan question within US strategic circles," Zhu said.