每日口說挑戰為什麼中國和臺灣之間的緊張關係在上升？ (Why Tensions Between China And Taiwan Are On The Rise)

Thank you Ken.

Ken's transcript!
Hey folks, Ken here. Since Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in early August, the cross-strait tension has once again become more stressful than ever. There are so many different factors right now that could potentially lead to a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. Certainly on the semiconductor front, the world has developed a greater dependency on Taiwan over the years. And that means, if anything happens to Taiwan, the whole world would be in trouble.

Taiwan has managed to position itself over the last 30 years as a contract manufacturer or original design manufacturer (ODM) of choice for many of the world's leading technology companies from the States, such as Apple, HP, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and others. The key major company that people talk about in Taiwan is a chip manufacturing company called TSMC. The company makes chips and parts for so many different American companies as well as other companies around the world. The funny thing is that the U.S. has somehow allowed itself to get into a position where they are utterly dependent on Taiwan for those chips. And those are the very chips that you need in artificial intelligence, high-end computing, communications, and military equipment.

One of Xi Jinping's major goals is what is called "national rejuvenation", which he wants to achieve by 2049. And part of that national rejuvenation is bringing back to the homeland all territories that have not been subject to Beijing's controls. That’s the reason why they constantly say that they want to reunify with Taiwan. We have also seen President Xi Jinping and his administration, over the past couple of years, increase the military intimidation of Taiwan with, for example, military flyovers, where they send fighter jets to show us who’s boss.

When the US made the shift to recognize Beijing as China back in the 70s, it didn't necessarily want to be seen as walking away from its relationship with Taiwan. The US continues to supply arms to Taiwan and continues to see Taiwan as an important economic partner. And because of that, Beijing has been very concerned in the past couple of years that the relationship between Taiwan and the US appears to be getting closer and closer. And that’s simply something the “big brother” can tolerate no more. It’s a game of big brother versus Uncle Sam. With Taiwan being stuck in the middle, we really gotta play it right.

[Sentence of the day]

When the US made the shift to recognize Beijing as China, it didn't necessarily want to be seen as walking away from its relationship with Taiwan.

[Vocabulary words]

1. shift
to change from one position or direction to another.

i.e. Media attention has shifted recently onto environmental issues.
媒體關注的焦點最近轉到了環保問題。

2. recognize
to accept that something is legal, true, or important

i.e. The international community has refused to recognize the newly independent country.
國際社會拒絕承認這個新獨立的國家。

3. necessarily
used in negatives to mean "in every case" or "therefore"

i.e. The fact that something is cheap doesn't necessarily mean it's of low quality.
價廉未必物不美。


Alright, that’s all we have time for today.
Folks, I’ve recently settled in Boston and I’m getting to know the city
as I prepare for the start of my graduate semester in September.
I love the weather here so far, especially when everything is dry and cool.
I’ll also be updating my life here in Boston on my IG @mrkenmiao
Be sure to check it out!
Anyways, as always, leave a comment down below to share your ideas and thoughts, or let me know if you have any questions.

This is Ken Miao. I’ll see you again next week. Bye!

#601
Thanks Ken!

When the US made the shift to recognize Beijing as China, it didn’t necessarily want to be seen as walking away from its relationship with Taiwan.

When the US made the shift to recognize Beijing as China, it didn't necessarily want to be seen as walking away from its relationship with Taiwan.

When the US made the shift to recognize Beijing as China, it didn’t necessarily want to be seen as walking away from its relationship with Taiwan.

When the US made the shift to recognize Beijing as China, it didn't necessarily want to be seen as walking away from its relationship with Taiwan.

每日挑戰Day329