Taiwan becomes China’s biggest headache in the Indo-Pacific

By Atul Aneja New Delhi, Oct 23 Taken aback by the high-octane riposte to its muscle flexing in the Indo-Pacific, including Taiwan, especially by India and the United States, Chinas propaganda machinery has now gone into overdrive.
“The Taiwan question is not a card that India can exploit as a bargaining chip toward China over the border issue,” wrote the state-run tabloid Global Times, following a media report that New Delhi and Taipei were considering elevating their trade ties.
“If India plays the Taiwan card, it should be aware that China can also play the Indian separatist card,” the daily warned, nailing “separatist forces in Northeast Indian states such as Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Assam and Nagaland” as candidates meriting Beijing’s support.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has also waved its finger at the US, exhorting Washington not to violate the One China principle and refrain from selling weapons to Taiwan.
There are at least three key reasons behind China’s near-hysterical response.
First, Taiwan is central to China’s geopolitical ambition of becoming a leading world power. Once Taiwan is fully integrated with the mainland, it would allow China to base its nuclear submarines in its deep-water ports, allowing them undetected access to the wider Pacific Ocean, turning the Chinese navy into an authentic blue water force.