Editor's Note: Tom Fowdy is a British political and international relations analyst and a graduate of Durham and Oxford universities. He writes on topics pertaining to China, the DPRK, Britain, and the United States. The article reflects the author's opinion, and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

On Friday the Republic of Kiribati became the second Pacific Island nation in days to establish diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China (PRC) and break ties with Taiwan, the Solomon Islands having done so on Monday. The move was announced by Taiwan's media and local sources in the Pacific. The move also came amid a hostile response from the United States towards the Solomon Islands' decision with Vice President Mike Pence cancelling a meeting with the Prime Minister, the U.S. State Department threatening to cut aid and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio threatening sanctions against the country.

But this manner in which Washington has responded to these moves and the fact it is not influencing the decision of countries to switch from Taiwan to the PRC, is the real story here. For all the rebuttal and punishment Washington is throwing at these countries for their own sovereign decisions, they still see huge incentives in building ties with Beijing.

In doing so, United States is woefully out of touch, it is completely failing in both acknowledging and understanding the reasons why these moves are happening and, in turn, is overestimating its capability of being the world's sole unilateral power. Countries see opportunity in China; it must come to terms with this fact.

When Washington turned against China a year ago, the White House commissioned a policy of forcibly punishing countries who switched diplomatic relations from Taiwan to the PRC. It recalled the diplomats of several countries who had done so in the western hemisphere, including the Dominican Republic, Panama and El Salvador. The policy is strange, because Washington itself claims to adhere to the 'one China' policy. Nevertheless, they have continued with the pursuit of penalizing those who follow suit. On Monday when the Solomon Islands officially established ties with China, it also provoked a hostile response from Washington.

Yet in no incidence has this 'punishment doctrine' discouraged nations from doing so. Just days after the Solomon Islands, Kiribati followed. Other nations are likely to do so in the foreseeable future. Of course, the western media and Taiwan itself by claiming that these nations are naïve and falling into "debt traps," but this is disingenuous, opportunistic and also patronizing.

China is a predominant power in the Pacific and the world's second largest economy. By continuing to choose Taipei, an island of 22 million or so, such countries are missing out on large scale economic, political and diplomatic benefits. It is unrealistic in that regards to expect such countries to simply ignore Beijing, a move which is tantamount to cutting off their nose to spite their face.

In this case, the United States is overestimating its own capability in the belief that they can coerce other nations into obeying their will. They are not being honest to themselves in noting that countries see economic opportunity in forming ties with Beijing and in turn, the idea that they can stop others from signing up to the one China policy when most of the international community (including the U.S. itself) has already done so, is also deluded. The world does not exist in a unipolar order anymore, and the whole mantra of "Make America Great Again" strongly symbolizes that American politicians are not coming to terms with this new reality.

In this case, by withdrawing aid and downgrading diplomatic ties with Pacific countries tilting towards China, the United States faces a self-imposed regional isolation. Beijing opens doors, Washington closes them. The White House has already lost most of its "battles" concerning China. It has failed to stop countries from using Huawei for 5G, it has failed to stop countries (including western ones) from signing up for the BRI and now it is subsequently failing in stopping countries from accepting the 'one China' policy. In each scenario there is a single common denominator, the inability to accept China as a growing player in the world and, in turn, the recognition that many other countries now do so. Unless it can come to terms with this, it will find no success in its self-anointed goal of "competition."

Thus, we should expect the trend of countries switching from Taiwan to Beijing to continue.

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