In 1950, Taiwan became an ally of the US fighting against Communist China in Korea. It was under Chiang Kai Shek's leadership that Taiwan began to cooperate with the United States, which in 1950 produced the US-ROC Mutual Defense of Treaty with the aim of gaining international recognition and becoming the basis for anti-Sino-Soviet communism.
The US also deploys a fleet in the Taiwan Strait to protect its allies from possible mainland Chinese attacks (KOMPAS, History of the China and Taiwan Conflict, nd). This is what ultimately resulted in Taiwan being only recognized as a province part of China.
Tensions between China and Taiwan have escalated and there have been frequent military contacts in the Taiwan strait. In this regard, Taiwan is adamant that it is not willing to unite itself with China. Meanwhile, China continues to exert pressure on Taiwan to agree to a one-China reunification.
Since China entered the United Nations, both China and Taiwan have sought reconciliation. This reconciliation is an effort to restore their relationship as before the conflict, namely a state of life that is peaceful and harmonious. At the end of 1987, for the first time Taiwanese residents were allowed to visit China, so that long-separated families could reunite. In 1991, Taiwan lifted the state of emergency and unilaterally ended the state of war with China (KOMPAS).
In order to support Taiwan, the Joe Biden government also secretly sent some of its military forces to Taiwan to train together. The exercise includes US Navy and Special Operations Forces personnel. Approximately 26 US personnel and support forces train together with Taiwanese ground forces, while the Navy trains in small training vessels (Hidriyah, 2021).
The American assistance given to Taiwan also shows and reinforces America's strength in the Asia Pacific, especially East Asia. This is indicated by the construction of the United States military base in Taiwan. The construction of an American military base in Taiwan by the US is aimed at restraining China from attacking Taiwan.
This rise of China has resulted in unusual ties to the US. The balance and complex relationship between these two countries results in different patterns of interdependence and interest interactions. First, the rise of China has led to increased collaboration and stability of the new world order. The relationship between the US and China has contributed a lot to a number of global issues, especially in the economic and trade aspects. Second, in addition to its unique relationship, the rise of China has increased fear and threats (Syahbuddin, 2019).
America can sell arms to Taiwan, but these arms sales are not for the sake of spontaneous attack but as a defensive measure against the possibility of China's attack on Taiwan at any time. To achieve their interests, countries go to war with each other and carry out a balance of power to balance the strengths of other countries. The concept of 'security' is the focus of the United States in Taiwan, because when a country increases its military strength, other countries respond and suspect it as a threat (Azizah, 2020).
Thus, after normalization, China's relationship with the US can be said to be a harmonious relationship that is prone to conflict due to different perspectives on the Taiwan issue. The Taiwan issue remains an obstacle in China's relations with the US. The US government in normalizing relations with China in 1979 through the US congress compensated by passing the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA).
The law states that "Washington would maintain the capacity of the United States to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security, or the social or economic system, of the people on Taiwan" (TRA 1979 ). However, it is precisely this policy that makes the Taiwan issue even more complicated and complex because on the one hand the US recognizes the one-China policy according to the Shanghai Communique and on the other hand the US is obliged to protect Taiwan based on the TRA mandate (Mubah, 2014).
Although Taiwan shows its optimism in carrying out separatist actions, Beijing is adamant that it will never revise its One China Policy doctrine. Even former prime minister Wen Jiabao asserted: “We stand opposed to any form of separatist activities at Taiwan independence and will never allow anyone to split Taiwan from China by any means.” Based on this stance, China began to anticipate Taiwan's separatist actions by continuing to strengthen its militaristic capabilities. In reality China has deployed a series of ballistic missiles along the Taiwan Strait, and has upgraded its amphibious fleet.
