TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Allied Western countries have been galvanized by Russia's attack on Ukraine but must not take their eyes off the real threat to the global order — China — says one international affairs commentator.
Despite Russia’s recent ruthlessness, it is, unlike China, a “fundamentally declining power,” argues Richard Heydarian in a recent opinion article for Nikkei Asia Review. Rather than become overly focused on the threat of a diplomatically isolated and economically feeble Russia, the West should allocate more resources to countering China in the Indo-Pacific and deterring an invasion of Taiwan, he argues.
Heydarian, who is also a research fellow at Taiwan's National Chengchi University, believes Putin's invasion of Ukraine may have “backfired big time.” He says Putin has united Europe against him, with even Germany formally suspending the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, and failed to secure Beijing’s explicit backing at the Munich Security Conference.
Liberal democracies should now turn to supporting “front-line states” that are resisting Beijing’s encroachment — first and foremost Taiwan, but also Vietnam and the Philippines, he argues. New Western-led projects to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative should be accelerated to counter its economic leverage in the region.
Heydarian sees the Ukraine crisis as bringing Western allies a new sense of strategic clarity and that, while Russia must be dealt with, countering China should remain the number one priority.