Why Taiwan could Trigger A War with China

The Socialist Program with Brian Becker

The Socialist Program

Politics, News

4.7 • 587 Ratings

🗓️ 14 October 2021

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

As the U.S. government makes a series of aggressive moves, could moves by the Taiwanese government towards a declaration of independence spark a war with China? Brian and Prof. Ken Hammond also discuss the essential historical background left out by the corporate media, explaining how Taiwan was carved away from the rest of China at the conclusion of the civil war in 1949 with the sponsorship of U.S. imperialism.

Brian is joined by Kenneth Hammond, a Professor of East Asian and Global History at New Mexico State University and an activist with the organization Pivot to Peace.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	In 1972, the United States acknowledged that Taiwan was part of China. In 1979, the U.S.
0:09.3	reaffirmed that point and in no uncertain terms recognize that there is just one China, and
0:15.8	Taiwan is part of the People's Republic of China. But today, the United States appears to be preparing
0:22.4	for confrontation and even war with China over Taiwan.
0:28.5	We need a new system. We need a new society. We need to demand that which may have sounded
0:34.7	impossible even a few weeks ago, but is not only realizable, but Socialist program. I'm your host, Brian Becker. We're joined today by Ken Hammond. Dr. Ken Hammond is a professor of
1:12.8	East Asian and global history at New Mexico State University. He's a founding director of the
1:18.9	Confucius Institute at New Mexico State University, and he is an organizer and activist with Pivot to
1:25.7	Peace. Dr. Ken Hammond, welcome back. Glad to be here again.
1:30.1	Well, 1972, the Shanghai communique, Richard Nixon had gone to China. The sticking point, of course,
1:37.2	for China to be able to normalize, and that was the beginning of the normalization process of
1:41.8	relations between the two countries, was for the U.S. to acknowledge
1:45.7	that Taiwan is in fact part of China. And in 1979, when normalization of relations actually
1:53.1	happened during the administration of Jimmy Carter, there was another declaration in January
1:59.0	1st, 1979, that also acknowledged that Taiwan is part of China.
2:04.6	Up until 1972, the U.S. only recognized the so-called Republic of China, Taiwan, as the
2:11.9	rightful and legitimate government in China. It was Taiwan, an island, not the People's Republic of China, that represented
2:20.2	China at the United Nations and at the Security Council. But all that changed when the U.S.
2:26.2	changed its position. I say that, Ken, because I'm looking at the Washington Post editorial.
2:32.6	It's not an anomaly. It's very typical of what's being presented
2:37.0	right now by the U.S. media and by the U.S. government. In fact, the U.S. media is echoing the U.S.
2:43.0	government. But here it is. Lead editorial Tuesday of this week, how the U.S. government can deter
	...

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