Pretty much the entire internet in China is flooded with Taiwan shit right now, from every direction. To gain a little insight, I am just going to choose the top post on Zhihu, and the top comment, and translate it using my spiffy AI translator and briefly checking the results (robert downey junior: "he is very lazy"). I don't know what it says yet so here we go:
Link:
https://www.zhihu.com/question/547135232/answer/2611798397Everyone thinks that this series of measures targeted against Pelosi's visit to Taiwan were merely done because she disregarded China's strong opposition. The reality is that this old lady's physical and political lifespan is not long, and whatever she does will not affect the overall, long-term situation of US-China relations. The high level decision makers are not that naive, and didn't put on this big show just for Pelosi.
What will really affect the big picture of US-China relations is the US Congress pushing through the Taiwan Policy Act. The bill would elevate Taiwan to the status of an important non-NATO ally and pave the way for future U.S. military involvement in Taiwan; support Taiwan's participation in international organizations through legislation; provide billions of dollars in of no-cost support for Taiwan's armaments; and support the renaming of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO).
This bill should have been considered in the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee in the past two days but was was postponed by Biden due to the visit. It is still expected to be submitted to both chambers for a vote soon. Once passed, the bill will completely upend the U.S. one-China policy and the strategic ambiguity of the Taiwan issue. Even more concerning is the domino effect that it will trigger among US allies. The bill (at least before Pelosi's visit and the introduction of a series of Chinese countermeasures) is almost a foregone conclusion to pass the House and Senate. All of China's current measures are, in fact, a way to seize the initiative regarding this coming re-adjustment of US-China relations.
It has two functions. It is preemptive, meant to prompt careful consideration and deter the U.S. before elevating relations with Taiwan. It is to seize the initiative so that subsequently, no matter how the U.S. adjusts its policy toward Taiwan, it will be met with a countermeasure in response.
China has asked more than 100 countries to reaffirm their support for the one-China policy so as to draw a line in preparation for the subsequent struggle. This is to make clear which party is provoking change, to stabilize the situation in half the world, and to not to be in a passive position after the U.S. policy adjustment.
At the same time, the military exercises practicing embargo of Taiwan will tell the United States and its proxies that the Chinese mainland is ready for armed unification no matter what, and there cannot be a good outcome from continued offensive actions.
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Two more things:
The U.S. Congress is almost entirely hawkish towards China, and in the current situation where the struggle between the two parties is acute and consensus cannot be reached on any issue, Pelosi's grab for power has received rare bipartisan support, that is, being tough on China is almost the only issue which can achieve bipartisan consensus.
The legislative work of the Taiwan Policy Act has now been postponed to September, and in the current atmosphere of unprecedented confrontation between China and the United States, and unprecedented anti-China efforts by both parties, the probability of the bill being passed in the U.S. Congress is infinitely close to 100%. After the bill is voted in both houses, it will be signed by the president to take effect. The U.S. executive branch is relatively more sensible, but there is great uncertainty whether Biden will refuse to sign it under the enormous pressure from Congress, especially the Democratic caucus.
Biden and his team have repeatedly acquiesced to Pelosi's trip on the grounds that they could not interfere with the actions of members of Congress. Could it really be that no one on the Chinese side understands the separation between the executive and legislative branches of the United States? Of course not. But this time the Chinese side just frankly told the U.S. side: I don't care about the details of how your government works. No matter what your separation of powers is, and no matter that the executive branch cannot restrain the legislative branch, on the bottom line issue of Taiwan, in our eyes you are one and the same.
How successful the current series of countermeasures can be in intercepting the Taiwan Policy Act, I cannot say. But judging from the current Chinese measures, we have seized a valuable strategic head start, regardless of whether this bill will eventually be introduced.