Oct 6, 2021: US President Joe Biden has said that he has spoken to Chinese President Xi Jinping about Taiwan after Beijing sent a record number of military aircraft into the self-ruled island’s air defence zone (ADIZ) and officials in Taiwan said ties were at their lowest ebb in 40 years.
In response to a question posed by a reporter on “China’s provocation over Taiwan”, Biden said that he and Xi had discussed the issue.
He commented on his call with his Chinese countrepart saying, “I have talked to Xi about Taiwan. We agree … we will abide by the Taiwan Agreement, we have made it clear that I do not think he should do anything other than abide by the agreement.”
The statement from the State Department spokesman reads, “The United States is very concerned by the People’s Republic of China’s provocative military activity near Taiwan, which is destabilizing, risks miscalculations, and undermines regional peace and stability.”
Taiwan said it tracked a record 56 Chinese aircraft in its ADIZ on Monday, in connection with military exercises starting on China’s National Day on Friday, and called on the island to fight fighter jets in retaliation. Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its territory, has stepped up cross-street activity this year, with the number of incidents recorded on the track doubling from 2020 levels.
Biden was seen referring to Washington’s long-standing “one-China policy” under which it officially recognizes Beijing instead of Taipei, and the Taiwan Relations Act, which makes clear that the US decision to establish diplomatic ties with Beijing instead of Taiwan rests upon the expectation that the future of Taiwan will be determined by peaceful means.
On Wednesday, Taiwan Defense Minister Chiu Cheng told the island’s parliament that cross-street tensions were the worst in 40 years, and warned that Beijing could have the capability to launch a full-scale attack on the democratic island by 2025.
President Tsai Ing-wen had earlier written about the “catastrophic consequences” for the Asia-Pacific region if Taiwan, which is preparing to celebrate its national day on October 10, falls to China.
Responding to Tsai’s article, China’s state-run Global Times accused the president and her Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of turning Taiwan’s democracy into an “extreme ideology”.
“Their fate is bound to be a catastrophe when they attempt to separate Taiwan from the (sic) China,” the Communist Party newspaper said in an editorial that also poured scorn on the US and the island’s western allies.
“The further the DPP authorities go down the path in colluding with external forces, the closer they move to their tomb.There is no force in the world whose will to “defend Taiwan” is stronger than China’s will to fight against secession and achieve reunification. No force dares or is willing to fight to the death against the world’s second largest economy, as well as a nuclear power, in order to prevent China’s reunification.”
China calls Taiwan its territory, which should be taken by force if needed. Taiwan says it is a free country and will defend its freedoms and democracy, blaming China for the tensions.
Taiwan reported 148 Chinese Air Force aircraft in the southern and southwestern part of its air defense zone during a four-day period starting Friday, the same day China celebrated an important patriotic day, National Day.
The United States on Sunday urged China to suspend military operations near Taiwan.
Taiwan is separated from mainland China by a sea channel about 100 miles (161 kilometres) wide.
In his statement, Biden appears to be referring to a 90-minute call with Xi on September 9, his first conversation in seven months, in which he discussed the need to ensure that the world’s two largest economies Don’t let the competition get in the way.
The call ended a nearly seven-month gap in direct contact between the leaders, and they discussed the need to ensure that the rivalry between the two-at its lowest level in decades sank. Don’t get me wrong Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post quoted an official familiar with the arrangements for the Zurich meeting as saying that the aim was to “rebuild communication channels and enforce consensus” between XI and Biden.
China meanwhile blames the United States for the escalating tensions, with differences between the two economic giants not only over Taiwan but also over trade, Hong Kong, the situation in China’s far western region of Xinjiang and the corona virus.
Earlier, the United States announced that National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan would meet with China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi in Switzerland for their first face-to-face meeting since the Alaska talks in March. Among them was US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
The White House said in a statement that the meeting took place after Biden’s meeting with Eleven on September 9 because “we are continuing to try to handle the competition between the United States and the People’s Republic of China responsibly.”
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