ABSTRACT
This chapter assesses the triangular relationship between the US, China and Taiwan during the Ma Ying-jiu era. Overall, Washington welcomed the cross-Strait détente because it reduced the danger of US military involvement in the Asia-Pacific region and helped to stabilize the relationship of the Obama administration with China. For this reason, Washington also exercised caution in the selling of advanced weapons systems to Taiwan, an issue of continuous contention between the US and China. On the other hand, the Obama administration did not agree to trade their willingness to provide Taiwan with military equipment for the reduced deployment of Chinese missiles targeting Taiwan. Ma Ying-jiu tried to reassure each of the two sides about his reliability and trust in their respective bilateral relationships with Taiwan. Although he succeeded in substantially reducing political and military tensions in the Taiwan Strait, his policy arguably implied reduced political autonomy for Taiwan vis-à-vis China. It also nurtured a debate in the US on whether ‘abandoning Taiwan’ was becoming an option for US diplomacy in order to further strengthen US-China relations. The triangular relationship was therefore maintained in a sensitive balance which was constantly threatened by China’s rising military power.
