Hours after the peaceful virtual meeting between President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, confusion struck in the American tent. It seemed as though Biden had a rethink about the Taiwan crisis; this rethink apparently made Biden reinforce the alliance between America and Taiwan.
Biden's allegiance to Taiwan tested- China sends 15 war planes over Taiwan againhttps://t.co/dvfKjtDiCJ
— Yarlosai (@Yarlosai_News) January 25, 2021
Before the latest decision by Biden, he earlier expressed the island of Taiwan is independent and makes its own decision. It was later on that Biden pledged support for Taiwan on the grounds of mutual democracy.
Could Biden Be Throwing Shade at China with this New Development?
Biden, while speaking with reporters in New Hampshire, opined that while America is not trying to wade in on China’s internal politics, America holds its foreign policies firmly. The American president further added that in dealing with Taiwan, China should respect the extant provisions of the Taiwan Act.
A while back, the Chinese government postulated the Island of Taiwan is a part of China. Xi also expressed that if Taiwan sought independence, it would not refrain from resorting to hostilities.
Currently, the relationship between America and China concerning the Island of Taiwan is like the discord between Israel and Palestine. The only difference between America and China is they are the two largest economies. The aspersions that this raises in the minds of many is what the next move by both nations would be.
What the New Development Means for America’s Foreign Policies
Ever since time immemorial, America has been guided by a plethora of diplomatic agreements. When it comes to our relationship with China, America’s diplomatic agreement with China stipulates America sees Beijing as China’s sole sovereign legal government.
In essence, if America begins to pledge support for Taiwan, it undermines the “One China” policy that America defended for umpteen years.
During the interview between Xi Jinping and President Biden, Biden addressed the need for peace across the Taiwan Strait. He said the current position of America is any unilateral effort that undermines peace on the island would be met with a counter-response from America.
At the tail end of the meeting, it seemed like there was hope for a smooth tie between the two largest economies in the world. However, with Biden’s back and forth statements, it is not certain if his comments are geared towards a rift with China or pledging allegiance to Taiwan Island.
Chinese dictator Xi Jinping threatened to "burn" U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday night if he supported the democratic nation of Taiwan. https://t.co/mOIIfn9eC7
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) November 17, 2021
The summary of the 3.5 hour meeting between Biden and Xi Jinping was setting things right with America, specifically China’s rules of engagement. However, the statements of Joe Biden are confusing over time, which poses problems.
With the new development, the fears of many revolve around how Beijing would perceive this new statement by Biden. Who knows what China will try next?