Chinese President Xi Jinping asked U.S. President Joe Biden last year to change the language the United States uses while discussing its position on Taiwanese independence.
When Xi Ask Biden To Tweak The Language?
Sources familiar with the private conversation said that Xi and his aides asked Biden and his team to tweak the language in U.S. official statements during the meeting between the two leaders last November.
Sources said China wanted the U.S. to say “We oppose Taiwan independence.”
Follow Up by Xi’s Aides
Xi’s aides have repeatedly followed up and made the requests in the months since, according to two U.S. officials and another person familiar with the exchanges.
U.S. Declined To Make The Change
The U.S. has declined to make the change.
The White House responded to a request for comment with a statement that repeated the line that Washington does not support Taiwan independence.
“The Biden-Harris administration has been consistent on our long-standing One China policy,” the statement read.
Position Of The Chinese Foreign Ministry
China’s foreign ministry said: “You should ask this question to the U.S. government. China’s position on the Taiwan issue is clear and consistent.”
Taiwan’s foreign ministry declined comment.
The defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong’s communists.
The Republic of China remains Taiwan’s formal name and the government says it has no plans to change that given they are already a sovereign, independent state and Beijing has no right to claim Taiwan as its own.
Sensitive Issue
For several years, Chinese diplomats have pushed the United States to make changes to how it refers to Taiwan’s status.
The status of Taiwan remains the most sensitive area in U.S.-China relations.
The unusually direct and renewed push at the leader level has not been reported previously.
The United States severed official relations with the government in Taipei in 1979 but is bound by law to provide democratically governed Taiwan with the means to defend itself.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control.
It was not clear why Xi chose to raise the issue with Biden, but he has made opposition to Taiwan independence a focus of his time in office.
China’s military has significantly ramped up its activities around the island in recent years.
Language Change Is a Non-Starter
The Biden administration regards the proposed language change as a non-starter.
Taiwan was briefed on the recent overtures at a high level by Washington, said one of the sources.
Leaders in Beijing “would love it if Joe Biden said very different things about Taiwan than he says, no doubt,” said one senior Biden administration official.
The official added that Biden would stick with the standard U.S. formulation for talking about Taiwan independence.
Biden Has Upset The Chinese Government
During his time in office, Biden has upset the Chinese government with comments that appeared to suggest the United States would defend the island if it were attacked.
This is a deviation from a long-held U.S. position of “strategic ambiguity.”
A Change That Would Reverberate
A change by the U.S. to say that it opposes Taiwanese independence would reverberate through the trade-rich Asia Pacific and with U.S. partners, competitors and adversaries alike.
Over the past five years, China has staged almost daily military activities around Taiwan.
A Day Of War Games
Earlier this month, Beijing held a day of war games.
Any switch in language could also be seen signaling a shift in U.S. policy from supporting the resolution of Taiwan’s future through peaceful talks to one suggesting the United States stands against Taiwanese aspirations.
What Opinion Polls In Taiwan Show?
Opinion polls in Taiwan show most people support maintaining the status quo, neither seeking to join with China nor establishing a new state.
In 2022, the State Department changed its website on Taiwan.
It removed wording both on not supporting Taiwan independence and on acknowledging Beijing’s position that Taiwan is part of China, which angered the Chinese.
It later restored the language on not supporting independence for the island.
Xi And Biden Expected To Speak Again
The two leaders are expected to speak again before Biden’s term in office ends in January.
They may talk on phone or on the sidelines of next month’s G20 summit in Brazil or APEC summit in Peru.
APEC is one of few international forums where both Taiwan and China take part.
The Democratic President will hand over the tense Taiwan issue to his successor, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris or Republican former President Donald Trump, following the November 5 election.
