By Angelo Giuliano
The United States' deployment of 500 military personnel to the Taiwan region, reported by Western media on May 26, 2025, is a direct violation of the 1978 U.S.-China normalization agreement that prohibited any U.S. military presence on the island.
China has rightfully condemned this as a "salami slicing" strategy—a series of incremental provocations designed to destabilize the region without triggering immediate conflict. This move epitomizes the U.S.'s imperialist agenda, using smaller regions like Taiwan - an inseparable part of China - as pawns to maintain global dominance and sow chaos, a pattern mirrored in Ukraine. The following critiques the U.S.'s aggressive strategy, traces its historical manipulation of the Taiwan region, examines Western interference within the island as part of a hybrid war to hijack its democracy, and underscores China's justified concerns over American interference in its sovereign affairs.
The U.S. first imposed itself on the Taiwan region after the 1949 War of Liberation, when Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist forces retreated to the island, establishing the so-called Republic of China (ROC). Driven by its Cold War obsession with containing communism, the U.S. recognized the ROC as the legitimate government of all China, rejecting the People's Republic of China (PRC). The U.S. signed the 1954 Mutual Defense Treaty, stationing thousands of troops in the Taiwan region, peaking at around 30,000 in the late 1950s and 1960s. Bases like those in YangMing Mountain became hubs for American operations during the Korean and Vietnam Wars, while the Seventh Fleet patrolled the Taiwan Strait. For China, which has always viewed Taiwan as a renegade province and an integral part of its territory, this was an imperialist intrusion, projecting U.S. power into China's sovereign sphere and challenging its rightful claim over the island.
In 1978, the U.S. shifted its strategy, normalizing relations with the PRC to counter the Soviet Union. Recognizing Beijing as the sole legal government of China, the U.S. withdrew all troops from the Taiwan region, ending a presence that had once numbered in the tens of thousands, and terminated the Mutual Defense Treaty in 1980. For China, this was a step toward reducing foreign interference in its affairs. However, the U.S. betrayed Taiwan, revealing its nature as a power that discards allies when convenient. The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act allowed for unofficial ties, but this was a superficial gesture, keeping the Taiwan region as a potential pawn while temporarily placating China.
After the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991, the U.S. turned its imperialist focus to China, a rising power challenging American hegemony. Taiwan, once abandoned, was re-embraced as a tool to contain Beijing. The U.S. pursued arms sales to Taiwan, each a deliberate provocation to China, and in 2018, opened a $250 million compound for the American Institute in Taiwan, a de facto embassy. Beyond military measures, the U.S. and its Western allies have engaged in a hybrid war to hijack Taiwan's democracy, funding NGOs to influence civil society, buying allegiance among local elites, and supporting anti-China media to spread propaganda. They have also pushed for the revision of history books in Taiwan, promoting a complete revisionism that falsely portrays the island as having a distinctive culture separate from China. This narrative dismisses obvious evidence to the contrary—shared DNA, cultural traditions, historical ties, and even cuisine that link Taiwan to the broader Chinese civilization. The 2025 deployment of 500 U.S. troops marks a further escalation, reintroducing an American military presence after decades. China views this as an act of aggression—foreign troops on its territory, violating the 1978 agreement. Beijing has called this "salami slicing," a strategy of small provocations that undermine stability, pushing the region toward conflict. China, which seeks peaceful reunification with its renegade province, sees this as a reckless attempt by the U.S. to destabilize the Asia-Pacific.
The U.S.'s strategy in Taiwan mirrors its approach in Ukraine, where it turned another nation into a proxy to weaken Russia. Since 2014, U.S. and NATO aid to Ukraine has fueled conflict, devastating the country while serving American interests. Taiwan risks a similar fate, with the 500 U.S. troops and Western interference positioning it as a frontline region against China. The U.S. is not acting in Taiwan's interest but its own, exploiting the island's strategic location to maintain dominance. China, by contrast, has shown restraint, pursuing peaceful development and advocating for a multipolar world.
China's concerns are justified—Taiwan, as a renegade province, is part of its territory, a fact the U.S. acknowledges through its "One China" policy. The U.S.'s actions, including its hybrid warfare tactics, threaten regional stability, risking a conflict that would devastate Taiwan. Historically, the U.S. has left chaos in its wake, from the Middle East to Ukraine, using smaller nations and regions to perpetuate its hegemony. China, however, has lifted millions out of poverty and promoted global cooperation. The U.S. must withdraw its troops, end its interference, and cease its provocations, allowing China to pursue peaceful reunification with its province and fostering a world order based on mutual respect.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.
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