Abstract

China's Tunnel to Formosa

There is, a development which is potentially significant in the future relations between Washington and Taipei, Taiwan. This is the "peace offensive" waged by the Peking government in China, against Taiwan since last fall. Many of the frustrations and bottled-up emotions of the island's populace, which were among the basic causes of the anti-U.S. flare-up, could also be utilized by Peking in its current maneuvers against both Taiwan and the United States. A dilemma exists between the increasing pressure on the State Department at Washington to recognize that Peking has become a world power in effective control of one-quarter of the world's population, and the strategic value of Taiwan, with a regime that is an ally by treaty with the United States. In an attempt to resolve this dilemma, three schools of thought have developed here: Those who advocate U.S. recognition of the Peking government; those who favor an independent status for Taiwan either as a nation or as a temporary trustee of the United Nations; and those who support the maintenance of the status quo.