Ex-diplomat says there are ‘more intelligent ways’ for the U.S. to support Taiwan than to visit

Bilahari Kausikan, a former permanent secretary at Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said there are more intelligent ways to support Taiwan.

He said that the move could undermine efforts by the U.S. and other countries to support Taiwan in the future.

Taiwan needs support and deserves it, but has it accomplished anything worthwhile? I don't believe so. Kausikan thinks that it has made things worse.

Pelosi went to Taiwan despite warnings from Beijing. Taiwan is a self-ruled democracy, but Beijing doesn't like it and doesn't want to have relations with it.

It is the highest-ranking US official to visit Taiwan in 25 years.

Military drills took place in the airspace and waters around Taiwan. Beijing announced sanctions against Pelosi and her family on Friday, but the content of those sanctions was not known.

Speaker of the U.S. House Of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), left, poses for photographs with Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen, right, at the president’s office on August 03, 2022 in Taipei, Taiwan.

Diplomatic support is what Taiwan needs. Kausikan said that Taiwan doesn't need a visit, that may give you a feel-good moment, and after that, may deter other countries from visiting Taiwan.

He said that the visit was an open question. There are a lot of other ways to give Taiwan the support it needs.

Kausikan said that the visit could upset the status quo in the region and that prompted China to fire missiles at Taiwan.

You have an increasingly febrile, fractious relationship between the two countries. It simply takes off a match to light a flame, which then catches fire more or less.

A conflict between China and Taiwan is not likely according to the ex-diplomat.

He said that broad military consensus suggests that China does not have the ability to launch a large scale military operation.

The bluster that China put out before and after the visit did not deter the visit.

Accidents have happened in the past.

Kevin Rudd is a former Australian Prime Minister.

Rudd is concerned that the Chinese may view Pelosi's visit as a U.S. walk-back from its 1982 agreement to recognize the "one China policy."

He said on CNBC that he thought we were in a new world.

He said that the relationship between the two countries was growing more tense. It takes off a match to light a flame and then catch fire.

The Chinese President is likely to be re-elected or reappointed in the years ahead, and that is what I am worried about.

When U.S.-China relations are not likely to recover in the next decade, a war can still be ruled out.