US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will meet with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi (王毅) on Friday (April 26) – a discussion that could also include Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平).
The visit is being closely watched by China observers, with most reports welcoming the meeting as an effort to manage escalating tensions between the US and China. However, beneath the diplomatic veneer significant points of contention persist in the relationship.
There is a vast chasm between the two sides on many issues. At the heart of these tensions lies China’s unwavering stance on Taiwan.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently said this about Taiwan, in a Chinese media statement: “The Taiwan issue is the number one red line in US-China relations that must not be crossed. Taiwan is a part of China, the Taiwan issue is China’s domestic issue.
“Taiwan independence is anathema to peace in the Taiwan Strait. The greatest threat to peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait is agents of Taiwan independence and their foreign enablers. China will not stand idly by.”
For seasoned observers, these statements are nothing new. In fact, they are remarkable in how little they have changed throughout the years. It is as if Beijing believes that if something is said repeatedly, then the lie will become the truth.
China’s statements are designed to distort reality for the express purpose of annexing Taiwan through all means available, including by deadly force. The truth is, however, Taiwan is not and never has been part of the People’s Republic of China, and has never been under the rule and jurisdiction of Beijing.
Therefore, the status of Taiwan is not a domestic issue for China to decide on, because it is not up to Beijing to decide.
When Beijing says “agents of Taiwan independence,” it is referring to anyone who does not consent to China’s sovereignty claims over Taiwan. That includes everyone who wants to maintain the current status quo, which is that Taiwan is a sovereign state independent of China.
Contrary to Beijing’s assertions, the real threat to peace in the region stems from attempts to disrupt the existing peaceful status quo and force Taiwan to accept Chinese control against the preferences of its people.
Beijing hopes that through these distortions of the truth it will persuade the international community to take its side. However, it is very clear that years of repeating this official line have not helped China. The threatening tone that has always come with these statements only serves to paint China as a child throwing tantrums.
Fortunately, the international community increasingly views China as a troublemaker and looks on Taiwan as the unfortunate victim of China’s unwanted aggression. The Biden administration has not directly rebutted China’s stance, but it tends instead to focus on other priorities within the bilateral relationship.
The recent passage of a US defense funding bill for Taiwan underscores growing international concern for Taiwan’s security and sovereignty. Increasingly, regional partners such as Japan, the Philippines, and Australia are paying more attention to the Taiwan Strait. Other alliances such as NATO are also becoming more vocal about Taiwan.
These actions are underpinned by a fundamental assumption that what happens to Taiwan is of grave concern internationally. It is clearly, therefore, not a Chinese domestic issue.
The more Beijing insists on a stance that does not square with objective reality, the more its strategic imperatives backfire. This stance, more than anything else, is the world’s “greatest threat to peace and stability.”
