Simultaneously, the Asia Times reported that Washington had pressured Taiwan to cease development of a locally-based launch capability using rockets developed in Taiwan. Photo: APOfficial Washington: Taiwan! Later, after the international media storm, Zhongnanhai made great noise, summoning the US ambassador. One key aspect of the “being provoked” discourse is that it assigns reasons for China’s actions to things that Taiwan or the US does. Buying into the “being provoked” narrative makes it more difficult for the international media to present China as the aggressor state.

Source: Taipei Times August 29, 2021 15:56 UTC