US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Asia tour comes to an end with Japan.
It was not a long tour, but as the two hegemons, the United States and China, faced each other head-on, the carrier fleet moved and large-scale military exercises continued, resulting in an aftermath.
China has issued eight sanctions against Taiwan as well as the United States, including military, judicial, and climate change.
The problem is that the aftermath of such a G2 collision is difficult to subside in a short time, and it can significantly affect the balance of power in the future.
What will be the outcome of Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, especially her visit to Taiwan, which has been at the heart of the controversy?
Who will laugh and who will cry?
Pelosi, 'Confirmation of Belief' vs 'Business of Yourself'
First, let's take a look at Pelosi, who is at the center of the controversy.
As I wrote in the previous coverage file ( ▶ [Report File] 'Pelosi and China's bad relationship' behind the 'burn and die' remarks), Chairman Pelosi has been a voice for human rights and democracy in China for a long time.
As such, her visit to Taiwan this time served as an opportunity to reaffirm her political convictions.
She could also be evaluated as a person who defended the pride of the United States, who did not succumb to all kinds of threats from China.
However, her cynical evaluations are also numerous.
Let's take a look at the headline of the New York Times article, which is considered one of the most influential magazines in the United States.
"Pelosi's Taiwan Visit Risks Undermining US Efforts With Asian Allies
"
In short, it could undermine the painstaking efforts the US administration has put in working with its Asian allies such as South Korea, Japan and Australia to contain China's military and economic hegemony.
In fact, the Yun Seok-yeol administration, which advocated a policy of prioritizing the United States, also opted for a phone call instead of a direct meeting with Chairman Pelosi, with the words 'considering the national interest' as if conscious of China as the controversy over the visit to Taiwan spread to a power struggle between the US and China.
The Washington Post point is even more painful.
"What we do not comprehend is her insistence on demonstrating her support in this way, at this time, despite warnings — from a president of her own party — that the geopolitical situation is already unsettled enough. However much the 82-year-old Ms Pelosi might want a capstone event for her time as speaker — before a likely GOP victory in November ends it — going to Taiwan now, as President Xi Jinping of China is orchestrating his third term, was unwise."
"What I don't understand is Pelosi's argument that at this point, she should show her support in this way, despite the fact that the president of her party has come forward and warned that the geopolitical situation is already sufficiently unstable. But Pelosi, 82 The chairman may have wanted to make a mark as chairman of the House of Representatives before stepping down as chairman in November's midterm elections in which the Republican Party is expected to win, but it would be unwise to go to Taiwan now as Chinese President Xi Jinping is coordinating his third term. It was a thing."
I understand your support for Taiwan and your beliefs about democracy and human rights in China, but it is pointed out that why should you show it when the geopolitical instability is as severe as it is now, and whether you were trying to build your own political achievements.
It's not just an article written by the reporter in charge, it's an editorial written by the editorial board of the Washington Post.
Looking at it this way, she stood at the center of the controversy by overcoming the threat of being shot down by the Chinese side, but she was criticized for harming the national interest as well as the evaluation of protecting American values.
My face is wrinkled, but... China seized the 'pretext'
China tried to block Pelosi's visit to Taiwan by using harsh expressions such as "If you play with fire, you will die in fire" during a phone call between President Xi Jinping and US President Biden directly, but failed.
Tensions were drawn to the climax by mobilizing armed protests and the threat of shooting down by government media, but rather, the White House side was hurt by the devaluation of China's threat as nothing more than a 'political investigation'.
Above all, as it happened ahead of President Xi Jinping's third term in office this fall, it seems that the feeling of defeat from the Chinese side will be greater.
Since he has so much power that is comparable to an emperor with an unprecedented three consecutive terms, it is almost as if his face was slashed in the face of the third-ranked US power, so there are many prospects that intensive military training or economic sanctions against Taiwan will not be easily lifted. .
At first glance, China may seem like a losing game, but if you take a closer look, it's not necessarily the case.
Let's look at some more New York Times articles.
The handling of Ms.
Pelosi's visit was worrisome because, intentionally or not, it showed China's power and diminished the role of the allies, said Seong-Hyon Lee, a South Korean fellow at the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies at Harvard University.
"The very fact that China's potential response becomes a heated debate in Washington reveals China's rise in status," Mr.
Lee said.
"Washington's hesitance has been already widely read in the region. This is a very poor signaling diplomacy coming from Washington to its allies and partners in the region."
"The (US) response to Pelosi's visit was worrisome because, intentionally or not, it showed China's power and diminished the role of its allies," said Lee Seong-hyeon, a South Korean researcher at Harvard's Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies.
"The very fact that China's potential response is heatedly debated in Washington shows that China's status has risen," the researcher said. "Washington's hesitation has already been widely read in the region. "It's a very poor diplomatic signal to the country and its partners," he said.
Enlarging an image
In summary, the fact that China's potentially threatening behavior has sparked controversy in the United States itself confirms China's elevated status.
It is also analyzed that these signals will inevitably be transmitted to allies in the Asian region, and may be a bad signal for allies sensitive to the 'power landscape' that the US power is not what it used to be.
In addition, China made the United States reaffirm its 'one China' principle over and over again in the midst of conflict, and it has an excuse to pose a military and economic threat to the independence forces in Taiwan.
In a situation where China has already declared retaliation, if sanctions such as blockades or military exercises in the Taiwan Strait are prolonged, as the United States fears, it is likely to cause a considerable blow to the international community, including the United States.
It remains to be seen how far-reaching sanctions measures aimed directly at the United States will have.
In particular, in the case of China, it is highly likely that Chairman Pelosi's visit this time will be used as a pretext for various pressures necessary to bring the Taiwan policy to their advantage.
Although face is now crumpled, he is holding an advantageous card in resolving the Taiwan issue, which President Xi Jinping has been focusing on as a task to solve.
If used well, it can also be used as an opportunity to show off China's real power, not potential, to neighboring countries.
It happened, and now there is only a fix left.
It seems that it will be Taiwan that will suffer immediately.
Whether this will be beneficial or detrimental to Taiwan in the long run is unknown.
It is difficult to foresee even an inch ahead in the international situation.
It is frightening that the inter-Korean issues we are facing are not very different from this in that they are intertwined with neighboring powers.