Following US President Joe Biden’s statement that the US is dedicated to protecting the island if it is attacked, China warned there is “no place” for compromise or concessions on the Taiwan issue.
After Biden’s remark the day before at a CNN-hosted conference, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Wang Wenbin reasserted China’s long-standing assertion that the island is its property during a daily briefing.
China has recently ratcheted up its threat to take Taiwan by force if necessary, flying jets close to the island and practicing beach landings.
“There is no room for compromise or concessions when it comes to issues concerning China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as other core interests,” Wang said. “No one should underestimate the Chinese people’s strong determination, firm will, and strong ability to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
“Taiwan is a part of China’s territory that cannot be taken away.” “The Taiwan problem is essentially a Chinese domestic matter that does not allow for outside meddling,” Wang stated.
Biden’s remarks on Thursday were interpreted as widening Washington’s “strategic ambiguity” on how it would respond to an attack on the self-governing island republic.
The US should “be cautious with its words and actions on the Taiwan issue, and not give any erroneous signals to Taiwan independence separatist groups, so as not to significantly harm China-US ties and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” Wang added.
Biden stated that the US does not seek a new Cold War, but he was concerned that China will “engage in actions that would put them in a situation where they may make a terrible mistake.”
“I simply want China to know that we are not going to back down, that we are not going to modify our minds.” Biden stated the following. When asked if the US would defend Taiwan if it was attacked, he said, “Yes, we have a commitment to do that.”
In Taipei, a spokesman for Taiwan’s independence-minded President Tsai Ing-wen said the United States has demonstrated its support for the island via tangible measures, and the island’s 23 million residents would not succumb to pressure or act hastily.
“Taiwan will display our firm commitment to protect itself and will continue to engage with nations that share our principles to contribute to the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region,” said spokeswoman Chang Tun-han.
During a civil war in 1949, China and Taiwan separated. In 1979, the United States severed official diplomatic relations with Taipei in order to recognize Beijing. The United States does not overtly challenge China’s claim to Taiwan, but it is required by law to guarantee that the island can defend itself and to take all threats against it as “grave concerns.”
China has increased military, diplomatic, and economic pressure on Taiwan under President Xi Jinping, who is also the Communist Party’s leader and the commander of the armed forces. China dispatched a record 149 military aircraft southwest of Taiwan in strike group formations over its National Day weekend at the beginning of the month, forcing Taiwan to scramble aircraft and activate its air defense missile systems.
China has also lately performed beach landing drills on its side of the roughly 160-kilometer (100-mile) wide Taiwan Strait, which it has framed as a warning to Tsai’s administration, similar to the aircraft intrusions.
With military purchases, the United States has reaffirmed its commitment for Taiwan. The United States’ backing for Taiwan is “rock strong,” according to State Department spokesperson Ned Price. According to Price, the US has “also been quite clear that we are dedicated to strengthening our ties with Taiwan.”
Nicholas Burns, Biden’s nominee for ambassador to Beijing, told senators debating his nomination on Wednesday that Americans should “have faith in our strength” in dealing with China’s growth, which he believes the US and its allies can handle.
Burns reiterated the Biden administration’s position of collaborating with China when feasible but denouncing many of its acts, such as its policy toward Taiwan and Hong Kong, where it has practically eradicated dissident voices via harsh legislation and arrests.