2022 Year in Review

Britain; a move that is not expected to change under the premiership of Rishi
Sunak.
Recently, the Taiwan Policy Act has made headway in the US Congress, and has
been signed off by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The proposed Act
designates the island as a major non-NATO ally, paving way for further arm sales
and defence cooperation.
Though the law has been sidelined by
American domestic politics, it nevertheless
demonstrates a clear appetite to upgrade
ties with Taiwan.
Shifting to strategic clarity will only officiate
what is already in place, and pave the way
for the US to solidify defence ties and its
commitment to defend Taiwan – and, by
extension, the rules-based order. The policy
shift will also dispel any Trump-era doubts
on the level of US commitment to the
region’s security and Washington’s multiple
bilateral defence treaties in the Indo-Pacific.
THE FINE PRINT: TERMS AND CONDITIONS
But as important as strategic clarity may be, any guarantee must inevitably
include caveats and conditions. The PRC previously escalated a jurisdictional
dispute over Scarborough Shoal with the Philippines by outright taking the island
located in the South China Sea. The US watched idly as the island laid beyond the
scope of the US-Philippines defence treaty.
Similar to this, the PRC may seize Taiwanese islands close to mainland shores,
for instance Kinmen, Matsu, or even the Penghu Islands. Whether the US will go
to war with China over these islands or just over Taiwan proper needs to be set
straight in any shift.
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