US-China relations, which came to a near total breakdown during the final year of President Donald Trump’s term, had descended into open hostility during more recent high-level bilateral meetings — including March’s now infamous Alaska Summit, during which diplomats from both sides traded barbs.
And though Monday’s virtual summit between the two leaders saw no substantive policy on key issues such as climate, trade, the pandemic, or arms control, it did establish a dialogue that can be built on, potentially easing tensions — and allowing for a return to a more constructive, stable relationship.
But while the mood music coming from both countries is undoubtedly positive, a closer examination suggests Beijing felt it had more to cheer.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) views “reunification” with Taiwan — a self-ruling democracy it has never governed — as a key unresolved issue on China’s path toward its “great rejuvenation.”
That a US President would potentially agree with China’s view on this issue is therefore a big propaganda win. But according to a readout of the meeting from the White House, that’s not quite what Biden said — in fact he didn’t mention independence at all.
“On Taiwan, President Biden underscored that the United States remains committed to the ‘one China’ policy, guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the three Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances, and that the United States strongly opposes unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” the White House said.
In what is known as the US “one China” policy, Washington acknowledges Beijing’s position that Taiwan is part of China, but has never endorsed the…
Source : cnn
