Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

When Audrey Tang Feng, a member of Taiwan's "executive authority", was giving a presentation at the "Summit for Democracy" on Friday, her video was suddenly cut and replaced with audio only. What happened?

According to a Reuters report, this is because Tang's presentation included a map which labeled the Chinese mainland and the island of Taiwan with different colors, and the White House was concerned that it could be seen as being at odds with Washington's one-China policy. The report said that "the White House National Security Council angrily contacted the State Department."

The US has not publicly confirmed the report. The external affairs authority of Taiwan said on Monday that the US had explained to the island that it was a "technical issue."

Taiwan authorities had always been very proud of being invited to participate in the "Summit for Democracy". This sudden "incident" and the related report by Reuters have shocked Taiwan society. The report cited a line by anonymous sources which could make Taiwan authorities feel bad - it could signal that the administration's support for Taiwan was not as "rock solid" as it has repeatedly stated.

Many mainland netizens on Monday morning mocked Taiwan authorities after reading the report by Reuters. It was the natural pleasure of seeing a traitor slapped in the face by his master. Yet the Chinese mainland does not really care about this incident. The mainland is very clear about the kind of US policy toward Taiwan island. Washington tries to avoid crossing the red line drawn by the Chinese mainland, which is a result of increasing strength of the latter. The Chinese mainland has more faith in its own strength, instead of illusions about the "rationality" of the US.

Only the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority has followed closely the Biden administration's every word, relying entirely on Washington's Taiwan policy. That's what happens when you're a running dog. The Tsai Ing-wen authority has no leverage over the US and can only hope to be embraced by the US, which can kick the island around at will.

The US pays attention to its strategic game with China, where the island of Taiwan is only a pawn of Washington. It wants to keep the situation in which the island of Taiwan is neither reunified with the mainland, nor "independent," in a bid to control the pressure it piles on the Chinese mainland with the Taiwan question. "Taiwan secession" is only a supercharger for the US in this regard, but is by no means part of the common goals that the US will sacrifice its own interests for. If the DPP authority cannot understand this, it will come to a miserable end, and it cannot figure out why.

Tang's presentation video being cut and the Reuters report have sent a signal of the real strategic situation of the island of Taiwan. It doesn't mean much to the Chinese mainland which is committed to solving the Taiwan question for good. But it is a life-or-death one to the DPP authority that counts on the US to survive. 

The DPP authority is still lost in the illusion of seeking "secession" with force by relying on the US. It has been spreading the fake belief that the Chinese mainland dares not resort to force and the island is capable of defending itself. Time to wake up! Don't lose yourself in the illusions. The only sure thing is the one-China principle - this determines "Taiwan secession" is nothing but a dead end and no one will come to help. 

Don't get bogged down in consoling details. The Taiwan question is about a general trend, clearly reflected in the collective will of 1.4 billion Chinese people and the rapidly rising power of the Chinese mainland. In order to make good use of Taiwan as a pawn, the US has played a calculating game with the Chinese mainland around its interests. It is inevitable that the US will say one thing today, another thing tomorrow, and make up for the situation if it goes too much in one direction. Taiwan should not be held hostage by the DPP authority to be a bargaining chip of the US.

The DPP authority had no choice but to say that Tang's presentation video being cut was an "accident." But Taiwan people can think of it independently.