People round the globe have their attention focussed on Taiwan regarding what will happen after United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan amidst stern warning from China. Pelosi ignored the warning and landed in Taiwan as on a routine flight. China was reduced to a mute spectator to this incredible political development when it had said that those who play with fire would perish themselves and that they would crack their head and spill blood.

Taiwan came into prominence after Chiang Kaishek, the Kuomintang leader, took refuge in it following the defeat in the war against the Communist Party back in 1949. It was something like Sugriv of Ramayana fame taking shelter in the Rishyamukta Mountain after being driven by his all mighty brother Bali. This was a safe haven for Sugriv as Bali was cursed to stay away from this mountain by the sage Markanda. Ram landed on the mountain to meet Sugriv, which led to a fight unto death between the two brothers. Bali had such a great physical prowess that even the icon of justice like Ram had to resort to treacherous means, following which he killed Bali by hiding from a corner. It is hoped that the situations do not stretch to such an extent as it will be detrimental to the whole world at large.

This is not the first time that a US House Speaker has visited Taiwan. Back in 1997, Speaker Newt Gingrich landed in Taiwan, but China didn't make much of an issue then although it had initially objected to the visit. But Beijing is said to have laid one precondition, that is, Gingrich would not fly directly to Taiwan from the Chinese mainland. So after meeting officials in Beijing and Shanghai, Gingrich had flown to Tokyo and only then to Taipei.

The adverse reaction to the visit of the same dignitary by China shows its inconsistency, according to some political observers.

Either the earlier visit should have been condemned, or this visit should also have been tolerated.

The other disparity is the claim of Taiwan as the breakaway province of China, duly allowing it to perform as a quasi-nation.

China's newly found arrogance has also been glaring in absorbing Hong Kong into China when there was an understanding in maintaining a 'one China two systems' policy.

Furthermore, the US had agreed to follow the 'one China policy' subject to the condition that Taiwan would not be integrated forcefully. However, China has been talking of assimilating it into the mainland, if necessary, even by force.

The US contends that China is deviating from this promise because of the dramatic improvement in its economy and, consequently, military power over the years. But the accomplishment of prosperity cannot be enough justification for the breach of the agreement made in the past.

The escalation of the conflict between China and the US will be unbearable at this time when the world has already been jolted by the war between Ukraine and Russia. The prices of consumer goods have sky rocketed, bringing inconvenience to all but more to the poor. As Taiwan exports two-thirds of advanced chips required in this electronic device-dominated world, a skirmish between China and Taiwan is expected to have a greater adverse impact than the Ukraine-Russia war.

If seen from a different perspective, a third country should not poke its nose into the visit of a person to any country as it is the subject of concern of those two countries. Pelosi, or for that matter any person of the world, has the right to visit Taiwan upon getting legal permission. The unobstructed movement of people round the globe is one of the fundamental rights of a human being.

Pelosi had made the visit to Taiwan to felicitate them in exercising democracy in the front yard of a communist heavy weight country like China. Pelosi also made such an adventurous trip fraught with danger even when President Biden had revealed publicly that the US military did not think the visit of Pelosi to Taiwan was a good idea.

The US is often alleged to pursue a big brotherly attitude towards other countries.

This tendency is said to have spiralled up after the fall of the Soviet Union.

It is unfortunate that China also has been emulating the US in view of the recent incidents, such as the confrontation with India on its northern border, thereby putting its ardent supporters in the back foot.

China is said to have suffered a huge loss of face after being totally foxed by Pelosi. It has been dumping its frustration on Taiwan by unleashing its military prowess like a paddy farmer battering the frog instead of the paddy-eating rat.

In fact, the world's second super power, China, should not have resisted so vehemently the visit of an individual to a country. It gives credence to the notion that China was looking for a pretext to amalgamate Taiwan into the mainland as rumoured. The visit of Pelosi to Taiwan has been a blessing in disguise for China.

But this blessing could be a curse as the US and its allies will not keep silent in case of such an eventuality, which may even sow the seeds of World War III.

In the past, both the world wars were triggered by the involvement of the super powers directly in the armed conflict. This is beginning to snowball at the present time. In the Ukraine-Russia war, the US and Europe are behind Ukraine. In the present China-Taiwan conflict, the US and its allies are supporting Taiwan.

In order to prevent another world war from raising its ugly head, all the super powers must refrain from being entangled in such conflicts. The merciless firing of missiles in the vicinity of Taiwan for such a trivial reason is only going to add fuel to the already raging fire created by the Russia-Ukraine war, thereby triggering the repetition of history and inviting yet another world war.

A version of this article appears in the print on August 9, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.