HOW TO TRAIN OUR SIGHTS ON THE DRAGON

China’s expansionism in Taiwan and South China Sea flows from a self-image that’s in play in Doklam and Tibet too. India should enhance its ties with Taiwan

- MANISH TEWARI

THE recent Taiwanese elections have resulted in a mixed outcome where everyone is both a winner and a loser. The pro-West Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) presidential candidate, William Lai, won the presidential election. However, the DPP lost its majority in the legislature, where the pro-China Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP) won enough seats to ensure that their support is needed for the passage of any legislation. This hung parliament with contradicting ideologies will have consequences for the archipelago state, as it is juxtaposed against a belligerent People's Republic of China that questions its very existence as an independent and autonomous Westphalian entity.

Taiwan is approximately 380 km long and 160 km wide. Despite its small size, it is home to around 24 million people. It also holds an immensely important strategic position in the Indo-Pacific region, situated between China, Japan and the Philippines, playing a pivotal role in Indo-Pacific trade.

Additionally, Taiwan is the world's largest producer of semiconductors, accounting for over 60 percent of the global production, with a direct impact on the global supply chain for microchips used in smartphones, cars, medical equipment, aircraft, and countless other electronic systems.

Thus, any forcible regime change in Taiwan that threatens the status quo shall have far-reaching consequences for the global market. That is why it is said that China is protected by the Silicon Shield.

The conflict between China and Taiwan is a clash of two distinct perspectives. To gain a better understanding, some historical context is essential. The initial inhabitants of Taiwan were the aboriginal Austronesian people who settled on the archipelago.

Han Chinese gradually encountered the natives in the late 13th century and began settling there by the 17th century.