{"id":2198865,"date":"2022-09-02T09:38:37","date_gmt":"2022-09-02T09:38:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/koreapro\/?p=2198865"},"modified":"2023-04-05T16:11:40","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T07:11:40","slug":"try-as-it-might-south-korea-cant-escape-tensions-over-taiwan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/09\/try-as-it-might-south-korea-cant-escape-tensions-over-taiwan\/","title":{"rendered":"Try as it might, South Korea can\u2019t escape tensions over Taiwan"},"content":{"rendered":"
Try as it might, South Korea\u2019s military relationship with the U.S. means that it can\u2019t escape the fallout of current tensions over Taiwan.<\/span><\/p>\n China\u2019s increasing assertiveness in the Taiwan Strait has raised concerns that it might only be a matter of time before Beijing makes its move. <\/span>In response<\/span><\/a> to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi\u2019s Taipei trip last month, China fired missiles near the island and simulated a blockade of Taiwan.<\/span><\/p>\n Adm. Philip Davidson, former commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, famously said last year that China could even launch its invasion <\/span>by 2027<\/span><\/a>. Some think that <\/span>declining demographics and economic growth<\/span><\/a> might push Xi Jinping to believe that it\u2019s now or never to achieve unification.<\/span><\/p>\n 2027 would also mark the end of Xi\u2019s <\/span>third term in power<\/span><\/a>. While he <\/span>eliminated term limits<\/span><\/a> in 2018, he would be <\/span>pushing his mid-70s<\/span><\/a> by the end of a third term and nearly 80 if he took a fourth. Perhaps he wants to cement his legacy as the leader who took Taiwan before it\u2019s too late not only for China but also for himself.<\/span><\/p>\n Of course, such a move could be disastrous for China, potentially bringing it into conflict with the U.S. But Vladimir Putin\u2019s invasion of Ukraine also took the world by surprise, suggesting it would be unwise to discount the possibility of a Taiwan invasion.<\/span><\/p>\n But while Washington\u2019s \u201cstrategic ambiguity\u201d on whether it would defend its fellow democracy <\/span>appears less ambiguous<\/span><\/a> these days, Seoul seems to be <\/span>distancing itself<\/span><\/a> from the U.S.-China rivalry as much as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n