Shadowing Practice: Why Taiwan is caught between China and the US - BBC World Service - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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This island is something that China and the United States have basically agreed to disagree about for decades.
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This island is something that China and the United States have basically agreed to disagree about for decades.
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Most governments don't recognise Taiwan as a country, but it has its own flag and its own army, and its elected president says it is a country.
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It has islands two kilometres from China.
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But China says all of Taiwan is a part of China.
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It hasn't ruled out taking it by force.
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And if that happened, Taiwan would look to its strongest partner, the United States.
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But even though it sells weapons to Taiwan, American policy is to answer questions about whether it would defend the island like this.
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I never comment on that. I don't comment on any-because I don't want to ever put myself in that position.
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Taiwan's situation is unique and complicated.
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And to make any sense of it, we need to start with a crash course in the island's history.
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There's been many, many phases over 300 years.
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It was under Dutch rule for a few years in the 17th century.
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It was then part of what we call the Qing Empire in China.
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And then it was part of the Japanese Empire from 1895 to 1945.
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At the end of World War Two, Japan was defeated and Taiwan was handed to Chiang Kai-shek, an American ally and leader of the Chinese nationalists.
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But they were in the middle of a civil war with the Chinese Communists, led by Mao Zedong. In 1949, the communists won and founded the People's Republic of China on the mainland.
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The nationalists fled to Taiwan, along with more than a million refugees.
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But the war never officially ended.
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What we were left with was effectively two Chinas.
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Both the governments in Beijing and in Taipei were claiming to be the legitimate representative of China.
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The split that exists today between Taiwan and China started here.
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And the United States got involved because of what happened to another of its allies, South Korea.
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In 1950, North Korea, backed by China and the Soviet Union, invaded the South.
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As South Korean forces moved up to stem the invasion, the world saw the challenge. Communism was on the march.
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The US had wanted to keep out of any wars in Asia after fighting there in World War Two.
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But it decided to send troops to support South Korea.
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We are united in detesting Communist slavery.
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We are determined to preserve our freedom no matter what the cost.
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The United States regarded the spread of communism as a huge threat.
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And because of that, Taiwan as a non-Communist country became an important ally.
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Chiang Kai-shek ran Taiwan as a dictatorship which imprisoned and executed its opponents.
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But because he shared America's anti-communist stance, for 20 years the US and Taiwan remained close.
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Thousands of American troops were stationed on the island ready to defend it.
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But then China's relationship with the Soviet Union, America's biggest rival, began to break down.
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And the US saw an opportunity.
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Up until now, the US had refused to recognise the legitimacy of the government in Beijing.
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But the two governments began to be driven by a shared desire to counterbalance the Soviet Union.
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For President Nixon, a sudden change in schedule.
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China was no longer an enemy.
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There can be no stable and enduring peace without the participation of the People's Republic of China and its 750 million people.
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Very quickly everything changed for Taiwan.
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And not just because of the US.
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At the United Nations an historic moment.
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The United Nations voted to change who represented mainland China.
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Up until now it had been Taiwan.
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But they gave the seat to the People's Republic of China.
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Now we are being deserted. We are being forsaken.
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Then under new leaders, the US and China got even closer.
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The US-China relationship normalised in 1979.
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As a condition of normalisation, the US then dropped its official relations with Taiwan.
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It was absolutely seen as an abandonment of Taiwan.
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The US pulled its troops off the island, but said it would keep unofficial relations with Taiwan.
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Back in the US, some politicians still saw the whole thing as a betrayal of their ally.
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Congress passed a law which said the government had to sell weapons to Taiwan so it could defend itself.
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But the US drew a line on going any further.
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It never stated clearly whether it would definitely come to Taiwan's assistance if it was attacked.
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It maintained this thing called strategic ambiguity, meaning that it was likely it would, but not completely certain.
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Since 1979, this American ambiguity hasn't changed.
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Even when Taiwan itself has.
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In the 1990s, it became a democracy and stopped claiming to represent the whole of China.
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But the Chinese position has always been that Taiwan is a part of China.
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China says it wants peaceful unification with Taiwan, but won't rule out the use of force.
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It runs frequent military exercises in the seas around the island.
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US intelligence agencies say they don't think an invasion is imminent, but that China is building up the military capability it could use to seize Taiwan.
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China has really scaled up its military exercises and threats vis a vis Taiwan.
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Chinese leaders also see the ability to return Taiwan to China as a test of its ability to break through Western containment.
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Taiwan sits at the centre of what's known as the First Island Chain.
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It links together US military bases in Japan and South Korea, and bases it has access to in the Philippines.
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Since 2024, the US and its allies have increased navy patrols here in the Taiwan Strait.
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A fifth of the world's sea trade goes through here.
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The tiny chip which powers the device you're using to watch this video was probably shipped from Taiwan through the strait.
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Taiwan is one of Asia's top economies.
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Most of the world's most advanced microchips are made by one Taiwanese company, TSMC.
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It's so important that it's seen by many as a deterrent against a Chinese invasion.
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Taiwan has this silicon shield because if you attack Taiwan, you attack this company and everyone kind of relies on this company now.
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The US is trying to reduce this reliance by helping TSMC set up this factory to make the same chips but in Arizona.
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China is also investing in manufacturing, but the vast majority of chips are still made in Taiwan.
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If that island were blockaded, that capacity were destroyed, it would be an economic apocalypse.
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That scenario is played out in a Taiwanese TV drama about a fictional Chinese invasion.
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It was partially funded by Taiwan's government, which in the real world has expanded defence drills to prepare civilians for possible attacks.
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But polls show that most people in Taiwan don't think China will invade any time soon.
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Most identify as Taiwanese, not Chinese.
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And many in Taiwan think that keeping things how they are is the best way to avoid war.
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The majority support the status quo, which is not to have unification, but not to have independence either. To live in this ambiguous area, but at least relatively secure and stable.
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But maintaining the status quo between Taiwan, China and the US is a delicate balance.
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Over the decades the three parties have been able to preserve peace and stability because of a willingness really to maintain ambiguities around Taiwan's status.
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But this question has become increasingly a point of contention between the US and China as competition heats up between the two powers.

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Why practice speaking with this video?

Practicing speaking with the video "Why Taiwan is caught between China and the US" allows English learners to immerse themselves in a real-world context, enhancing their language skills through genuine dialogue. This video presents a complicated geopolitical situation, offering learners a chance to engage with political vocabulary and expressions. By shadowing the speaker, you not only mimic pronunciation but also internalize the rhythm and intonation of English speech, which can significantly improve English pronunciation. Utilizing platforms like learn English with YouTube can make this practice engaging and informative.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

In this video, several key grammatical structures and expressions are prominent:

  • Present Perfect Tense: The speaker says, "The split that exists today." This structure emphasizes the ongoing relevance of historical events and is useful for discussing situations that connect past and present.
  • Conditional Sentences: The phrase, "If that happened, Taiwan would look to its strongest partner," illustrates a second conditional structure, useful for expressing hypothetical situations.
  • Passive Voice: When mentioning, “Taiwan was handed to Chiang Kai-shek,” the speaker uses passive voice to shift focus, often emphasizing actions over the subject performing them. This form is critical for discussing historical events where the actor may be less important.

These structures not only clarify the content but also provide great chances for learners to practice their speaking through shadowspeak, boosting their ability to convey complex ideas effectively.

Common Pronunciation Traps

As you practice shadowing, be aware of these common pronunciation traps found in the video:

  • Words like “legitimate”: The stress is on the second syllable, which might be mispronounced by non-native speakers. Focus on saying it as le-GIT-i-mate.
  • The phrase “People's Republic”: Pay attention to the linking sound between “People’s” and “Republic,” which can often be said too quickly, losing consonants. Practice it slowly to master the connection.
  • “Communism”: Note the emphasis on the first syllable. Ensure it sounds crisp and clear: COM-mu-nism. This can easily be mispronounced if rushed.

By recognizing and practicing these challenging words, you’ll be able to refine your English pronunciation, making your speech clearer during discussions about complex subjects like international relations. Engage with the video repeatedly, and take advantage of shadowspeaks techniques to achieve fluency.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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