In an apparent provocation against China, US Telecoms Regulator Commissioner visits Taiwan

One of the five commissioners of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Commissioner Brendan Carr touched down in Taiwan for an official visit on Wednesday. The Federal Communications Commission is the federal agency of the United States responsible for regulating radio, television, satellite and cable communications.

The visit was announced through a statement by US’s de facto embassy in Taipei, the American Institue in Taiwan. According to the statement, Commissioner Brendan Carr will undertake discussions on a range of issues including “telecommunications and cybersecurity”. The duration of the visit will be November 2 to November 4.

“Given my position at the FCC, I look forward in particular to deepening the collaboration with Taiwan and sharing views on network resiliency, cyber, and telecom issues that are vital to our shared security interests,” Sputnik quoted Carr as saying.

Is the US trying to Provoke China?

The latest visit by a US official to the self-governed island nation of Taiwan comes amid heightened tensions in the region. Things had turned sour between the US and China following the visit by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan in August. Following the visit, China launched its largest military drill around Taiwan, which included blockading the island nation from six zones and live-fire drills.

China’s actions had drawn condemnation from various nations including the US, the UK, Germany and the G7 nations. Moreover, Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan kicked off a series of trips to the wayward Chinese island not only by US officials but by government officials from the UK as well. Beijing has lambasted the visits citing them as violations of the One China policy, to which the US is formally committed.

Beijing has not yet commented on Carr’s visit to Taiwan. However, Chinese officials have consistently criticized the US over the trips by its officials to the island, pointing out that official contacts are prohibited under treaties on Sino-US relations. The treatise requires the United States to reject formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

Beijing's Taiwan reunification efforts

China has time and again cleared its stance regarding the Taiwan issue and hoped for a peaceful reunification with the mainland. However, following the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 20th Congress last month, President Xi Jinping highlighted China’s “major struggle against separatism and interference,” in the face of “serious provocations by separatist forces calling for Taiwan’s independence, and interference from outside forces.”

Moreover, Beijing’s efforts to reunify the island of Taiwan have included establishing diplomatic contacts with the Kuomintang, the Taiwanese opposition party in hopes to take back power from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party in the upcoming elections in 2024, reported Sputnik.