US Considers China Sanctions to Support Taiwan

Facts

• It was reported Wednesday that the US is considering a possible sanctions package against China to deter the PRC from a prospective invasion of Taiwan. The EU, meanwhile, is said to be under lobbying pressure from Taipei to do the same.
• The efforts by the US to support Taiwan are said to be in the early stages, with deliberations reportedly aimed at expanding existing Western sanctions to include trade in sensitive technologies such as computer chips and telecom equipment.
• While Washington has yet to make any specific comments, analysts suggest that the initial sanctions talks are likely to focus on curtailing Beijing's access to technologies needed for a possible military operation against Taiwan.
• Meanwhile, Taiwan's US Embassy in Washington reportedly hosted an unannounced meeting of about 60 members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance for China (IPAC), to support actions such as "meaningful sanctions" against Beijing.
• Earlier in September, Washington announced that US technology companies receiving federal funding would be barred from building "advanced technology" facilities in China for 10 years in an effort to bolster the local semiconductor industry.
• Tensions between China and Taiwan recently reached new heights following a controversial visit to the Island by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in August. This reportedly led to unprecedented Chinese military drills around Taiwan.See Fewer Facts

Sources: Reuters, CNBC, Al Jazeera, Voa, BBC News, and The Guardian.

Narratives

• Anti-China narrative, as provided by Newsweek. The more economically potent Beijing becomes, the greater the threat to Taiwan. The PRC doesn't believe in democratic values, and actively works against the established international order. Applying sanctions to curtail technology that threatens Taipei is prudent.
• Pro-China narrative, as provided by Xinhua. As was the case earlier with prospective US sanctions over Hong Kong, this is nothing more than empty bluff and bluster from Washington. Instead of pursuing harmful policies that would hurt Sino-American relations, the US should honor its agreement under the "One China" policy, and work with Beijing on a more constructive, less hegemonic approach toward the world order.