Taiwan Responds to Musk Comments

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Facts

  • Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu on Wednesday criticized Elon Musk for his recent comments about Taiwan, adding that the island doesn't belong to the People's Republic of China and 'is not for sale.'1
  • Wu also pointed out that Beijing has blocked X, accusing Musk of thinking banning is “good policy,” and referenced retracted claims that Musk denied requests to activate his Starlink satellite network to thwart a Ukrainian counterstrike against Russia last year.2
  • This comes as the billionaire businessman, speaking at the All-In Summit this week, noted that, from Beijing's standpoint, Taiwan could be 'analogous to Hawaii' and 'arbitrarily not part of China' mostly due 'to the US Pacific Fleet.'3
  • Musk had already waded into this thorny issue in October last year when he suggested to the British business newspaper Financial Times that tensions could be lowered should the island become a special administrative zone of China.4
  • Taiwan has been governed independently since the island split from mainland China in a civil war in 1949, but Beijing claims sovereignty over the territory and has vowed to reunite it — by force if necessary.5
  • According to a new biography on Musk, he has an interest in maintaining a good relationship with Beijing to avoid harming Tesla's business in the country, as its factory in Shanghai reportedly accounted for over half of the company's global deliveries in Q2 2023.6

Sources: 1Reuters, 2Guardian, 3Al Jazeera, 4BBC News, 5CNBC and 6The messenger.

Narratives

  • Anti-China narrative, as provided by Wall street journal. Musk is nothing more than a shill for China who’s attempting to protect his business interests, even if it means degrading the status of Taiwan as a sovereign nation that’s under constant threat. Many US executives are pulling back from China for numerous political and ethical reasons, but Musk has no qualms about growing his companies’ presence in the country, even if it means spewing propaganda.
  • Pro-China narrative, as provided by Global times. Musk is a smart businessman who knows how important it is to grow the market. US politicians and executives would be wise to adopt a policy of cooperation rather than confrontation with China in order to solve many of the world’s economic woes, including inflation. Reducing tensions in the South China Sea would also go a long way toward reassuring world markets.

Predictions