Chinese leader Xi Jinping accused the United States of trying to provoke China into invading Taiwan, but assured that China would not fall into that trap, according to the Financial Timesciting sources familiar with the matter.
Xi has repeated this warning to Chinese officials, a source told Financial Timesbut this is the first time he is known to have done so to a foreign leader, the media reported.
During the meeting, according to a press release at the time, Xi asserted that Taiwan is central to China’s interests, adding: “If anyone expects China to give in on the Taiwan issue, they are dreaming and would do themselves harm.”
The position of the United States towards China and Taiwan
For decades, the United States has maintained a “strategic ambiguity” regarding Taiwan, being its main ally without explicitly confirming whether it would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack. However, attitudes in Washington, D.C., appear to be changing, with Congress showing more support for Taiwan than a few years ago, said Graeme Thompson, an analyst at the Eurasia Group.
During the visit, Representative Andy Barr, co-chair of the Taiwan Caucus in Congress, stated that there should be “no doubt” or “skepticism” about “American determination to maintain the status quo and peace in the Strait of Taiwan”, according to Associated Press.
Kerry Brown, director of the Lau China Institute at King’s College London, told Business Insider that Xi’s accusation reflects China’s “surprise” and “shock” at the United States’ recent “aggressiveness.”
Mike Pompeo, former secretary of state under the Trump administration, and John Bolton, former national security adviser, are among those proposing this measure. This represents a problem for China, according to Brown, as it is “a red line that China will need to respond to if crossed.”
Brown, who was first secretary at the UK embassy in Beijing from 2000 to 2003, noted that behind Xi’s “complaint” was the hope that other Western allies would “calm the United States down.”
Last week, Admiral Samuel Paparo, the top US commander in the Pacific, told the Washington Post that the United States could deploy thousands of drones if China invaded Taiwan, creating an “unmanned hell” that would allow time for the US military to come to Taiwan’s aid.
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Source: Business Insider
