China-US ties have sunk to their lowest point since the normalization of relations in 1979, with problems stemming from the trade and tech wars launched by the Trump administration in 2018, complemented by the Biden White House’s repeated violations of the One China policy on Taiwan.
Taiwan is a security "red line" for China which Washington must never cross, Foreign Minister Wang Yi has indicated.
“In response to recent erroneous words and deeds by the United States on the Taiwan issue and Washington’s attempt to draw a line in Sino-US relations, President Xi Jinping comprehensively and systematically expounded on the origin of the Taiwan issue and China’s principled position, clearly pointing out that Taiwan issue is at the center of China’s core interests, and the core of Sino-US relations,” Wang indicated in a Foreign Ministry statement Sunday, summarizing President Xi’s trips to the G20 and APEC summits this week.
Stressing that “‘Taiwan independence’ is incompatible with peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” and that “the Chinese people will never agree to anyone who wants to separate Taiwan from China,” Wang warned that the issue is the “political foundation and the main red line that no one can cross.”
The Chinese top diplomat urged Washington to do its part to stick to the "Four No’s and One Without" pledge given by former Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian in 2000, which committed Taipei to maintain the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.
In his talks with President Joe Biden, Xi called on Washington to abandon its “zero-sum game” approach to China, “establish a tone of dialogue instead of confrontation,” and “adhere to mutual respect and peace,” according to Wang.
Xi was also said to have slapped down US criticism on issues including democracy and human rights, and to have informed his American interlocutors that “the United States has American-style democracy, and China has Chinese-style democracy,” and that both countries must recognize and respect one another’s “different systems and paths.”
Taiwan Strains
China-US ties, already rattled by Donald Trump’s trade and tech wars, sunk to new lows under President Biden amid his repeated pledges to “defend” Taiwan against “Chinese aggression,” and thanks to the ramping up of US arms sales to the wayward island.
In his address at the 20th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party last month, President Xi reiterated that the PRC is committed to peaceful reunification with Taipei, characterizing integration under the One Country, Two Systems model applied to Hong Kong and Macau as “the best way to realize unification across the Taiwan Strait.”
Xi also warned that “Taiwan is China’s Taiwan,” and that Beijing would “never compromise to renounce the use of force” to resolve the issue to prevent “interference by outside forces and the few separatists seeking ‘Taiwan independence’” from trying to permanently separate the island from the mainland.
Xi also warned that “Taiwan is China’s Taiwan,” and that Beijing would “never compromise to renounce the use of force” to resolve the issue to prevent “interference by outside forces and the few separatists seeking ‘Taiwan independence’” from trying to permanently separate the island from the mainland.
Officials in the White House and the Pentagon have spent months accusing Beijing of making preparations to “invade” the island in the near future, and Washington has promised to “support” Taipei “militarily” by providing training and equipment.
Washington ramped up tensions with China over Taiwan this summer as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island. Her trip opened the floodgates for a series of visits to the island by other House lawmakers, senators, governors, and other officials, most recent among whom was a commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (the US agency in charge of censoring indecent content in broadcasts).
China slammed the visits as a violation of the terms of agreements cementing Sino-US relations, which prohibit US diplomatic contacts with Taipei, and kicked off weeks of military drills around the island. Beijing also sanctioned Pelosi, her colleagues, and US arms makers, which have been shipping weapons to Taiwan.
The White House formally distanced itself from Pelosi’s visit, telling reporters back in August that “the military thinks it’s not a good idea right now.” However, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan defended the trip, saying it was “not unprecedented” and “not threatening to China.”
