Willie R. Tubbs, FISM News
In an interestingly timed decision, the People’s Republic of China elected Monday to reiterate its threat to the United States over Taiwan.
On the same day that National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with Politburo Member Yang Jiechi, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian promised serious repercussions if America did not cease its support of Taiwanese independence.
“A stern warning to the US side: playing the ‘Taiwan card’ is like playing with fire,” Zhao said. “It will not only push Taiwan to a precarious situation, but also bring unbearable consequences for the U.S. The U.S. should stop hollowing out the one-China principle and stop condoning or abetting ‘Taiwan independence’ moves. It should return to the original and true meaning of the one-China principle, honor its political commitments to the Chinese side, earnestly safeguard peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and safeguard the overall China-U.S. relations.”
As previously explained on FISM News, the foreign ministry spokesperson, and the PRC more broadly, operate from the false position that the “one-China principle” has been agreed upon by the United States.
In a truly pedantic bit of policy writing, the documents that established an official diplomatic relationship between the U.S. and China never settled what the term “one China” meant. The document only established that the United States agreed that China claims there is but one China and that Taiwan is a part of that nation. However, the United States has never agreed that Taiwan is a part of China.
Based on Yang’s statements it seems the matter of Taiwan was secondary when meeting with Sullivan.
A senior Biden administration official told reporters on a teleconference only that Sullivan, “reiterated our one China policy based on the Taiwan Relations Act, Three Communiqués, and Six Assurances. And he underscored concerns about Beijing’s courses and provocative actions across the Taiwan Strait.”
During her Monday press briefing, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki reiterated the United States’ stance on Taiwan.
“We’ve never stepped back from the commitments we’ve made under the Taiwan Relations Act,” Psaki said. “And the president stands by those.”
The Taiwan Relations Act was passed in 1979 and established that the United States would maintain “commercial, cultural, and other relations” with Taiwan, but would establish no official diplomatic ties with that nation, the latter point being a concession to China.
China and the United States, along with Japan, have jousted over Taiwan since last year. China has repeatedly enacted shows of force in Taiwanese airspace while the U.S. has sent a small delegation of elected officials to Taiwan, helped Taiwan’s armed forces upgrade equipment, and worked with Japan to create a joint military plan that would be employed should China invade Taiwan.
Most notably, the United States sent a small contingent of military personnel into Taiwan to advise military training.
Despite the consistent posturing over Taiwan, the more pressing issue when Sullivan met with Yang was China’s stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russia has, according to U.S. officials, requested Chinese aid in executing its war, but the West has attempted to persuade China to jilt Russia.
“The National Security Advisor described to Yang the unity of the United States and its allies and partners, the unprecedented coordination with our European and NATO Allies in particular, as well as the intense and unprecedented engagement by Asia Pacific allies in bringing the cost on Russia for its actions,” the senior official said.