Xi asked Biden to change language on Taiwan, ‘oppose’ independence: report
By Carl Samson
Chinese President Xi Jinping asked U.S. President Joe Biden to change Washington’s language on Taiwan’s independence last year, urging direct opposition rather than lack of support, according to U.S. officials familiar with the exchange.
- What Xi told Biden: In a private meeting near San Francisco last November, Xi and his aides requested that the U.S. explicitly state “we oppose Taiwan independence,” instead of the current wording that it “does not support” it, the officials told Reuters. This marks an unusually direct attempt at influencing U.S. policy language at the leader level, with Chinese officials following up repeatedly in subsequent months. Biden, however, is sticking with the U.S.’ longstanding One China policy, in which Washington recognizes Beijing as the sole legal government of China, but only acknowledges the Chinese position that Taiwan is part of China — thus allowing unofficial ties with the self-governing island.
- The big picture: It was reported during the 30th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco last November that Xi warned Biden about Taiwan being the most significant threat to U.S.-China relations. The sensitivity of Taiwan’s status is recently heightened by military escalations from Beijing and Biden’s defense support for Taipei. In September, Biden approved a $567 million defense package for Taiwan, nearly doubling last year’s budget, to strengthen its asymmetric military capabilities amid record Chinese military activities around the island. China slammed the move, noting that it “seriously violates” the One China principle, which asserts (1) that there is only one China, (2) that Taiwan is a part of China and (3) that Beijing is the sole legitimate government of China. However, the Biden administration remains committed to the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, which obligates the U.S. to provide Taiwan with sufficient defense capabilities, despite some issues in arms deliveries.
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