Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly conveyed to U.S. President Joe Biden that Beijing is determined to bring about a reunification with Taiwan. However, the timeline for this reunification remains undetermined.
What Happened: The conversation between Xi Jinping and Biden took place during a summit held in San Francisco, NBC News reported on Wednesday. In the dialogue, Jinping mentioned that China intends to unify Taiwan peacefully and not through forceful measures.
He dismissed the predictions made by U.S. military leaders suggesting that China might take control of Taiwan by 2025 or 2027, stating that no specific time frame has been set.
The Chinese officials, during the summit, urged Biden to publicly support China’s goal of a peaceful reunification with Taiwan and to deny support for Taiwan’s independence. However, the White House did not agree to this request.
Why It Matters: The news comes in the wake of escalating tensions between Taiwan and China. Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen has been pushing for a “peaceful coexistence” with Beijing. However, the situation has been tense, with Beijing amplifying military activities in the region and intensifying import restrictions on Taiwanese goods.
Adding to the tension, Taiwan’s defense ministry reported multiple instances of suspected Chinese weather balloons crossing the Taiwan Strait, raising suspicions of spying activities by China.
However, despite these tensions, the top U.S. military official expressed skepticism about China’s intent to invade Taiwan, suggesting that Xi Jinping might employ other strategies instead of resorting to force.
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