Chinese leader Xi Jinping assured US President Joe Biden that his country is not planning military action against Taiwan “in the coming years.”
An unnamed American official reported this to Western media following negotiations between the two leaders in San Francisco.
The meeting between Biden and Xi lasted about four hours. The two had a “substantive exchange of views” on Taiwan, the senior US official said.
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And the Chinese leader assured that “China has no immediate plans for military action against Taiwan in the coming years.”
Thus, Xi Jinping commented on statements by US officials who voiced different dates for a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan (for example, 2027 or 2030).
“There seemed to be some irritation in Xi’s comments,” the official said, adding that the Chinese president “essentially said there are no such plans.”
According to him, Xi Jinping also noted that he hopes for the “peaceful reunification” of China with Taiwan, outlining the conditions under which force could be used. The Chinese leader stressed that the fate of the island is the biggest threat to US-China relations.
Joe Biden, in turn, assured that the United States supports “peace and stability” in the Taiwan Strait. According to him, this can be achieved by maintaining the status quo. He also warned Beijing against interfering in the upcoming elections in Taiwan, which will be held in January.
Biden said the United States supports the “one China” policy. According to it, Washington at the diplomatic level recognizes only one Chinese government (in Beijing) and does not recognize Taiwan as a separate state.
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“We agree that there is a “one China” policy.” I'm not going to change that. That won't change,” Biden said.
The situation around Taiwan
China considers Taiwan part of its territory, which will someday return to Beijing's control.
Taiwan considers itself an independent country with its own constitution and democratically elected leadership.
Although the United States recognizes only the Chinese government in Beijing, it maintains unofficial relations with Taiwan.
Taiwan has been a major source of tension between Washington and Beijing. China has recently carried out a series of aggressive maneuvers in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, raising fears that Chinese troops could invade the island in the coming years.
Against this background, Joe Biden stated that the United States would defend Taiwan militarily in the event of an attack.
