(New York Post) Secretary of State Antony Blinken raised eyebrows Monday, telling reporters the US “does not support Taiwan independence” after meeting in Beijing with officials including Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Blinken’s statement ruffled the feathers of many Republicans in Congress, who viewed the statement – and the secretary’s inability to re-establish military-to-military communications – as an inappropriate kowtow to America’s greatest adversary.
“Blinken flew to Communist China to appease Xi Jinping and state the Biden administration does not support Taiwan’s independence,” Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) said on Twitter. “Why won’t this administration stand up to bullies and stand for freedom?”
The Taiwan issue is among the most contentious in the US-China relationship, with Xi making it his No. 1 priority to “reunite” Taiwan with China — though the island about 100 miles off the country’s southeastern coast has never actually been part of it.
Rep. Ben Cline (R-Va.) tweeted that Blinken’s statement was a “dangerous display of weakness towards our adversaries on the world stage.”
“The Biden admin is giving China a green light to increase its intimidation of our ally, Taiwan,” he said.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters that the US “does not support Taiwan independence.”Photo by PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images
However, Taiwan is not a formal ally of the United States – though the Biden administration has repeatedly said the US would come to the self-governed democratic island’s defense if China were to attack.
Instead, the US adheres to a so-called “One China policy,” which does not take a formal position on the status of Taiwan’s sovereignty.
What is the One China policy?
Washington’s “One China policy,” which has been critical for maintaining peace in East Asia since it took effect in the late 1970s, holds that the US acknowledges – but does not necessarily agree with – Beijing’s opinion that Taiwan is its sovereign territory.
Instead, the policy holds that the US considers Taiwan’s sovereignty status unsettled, and successive presidential administrations have held that the US favors no change to the “status quo” of relations between China and Taiwan.
However, the US also allows for its military to come to Taiwan’s defense should Beijing attempt to take Taiwan by force, something both the Trump and Biden administrations stated repeatedly as US-China tensions began heating up in 2016.
Blinken’s comments reflect the State Department’s “One China Policy” which has been in effect since the 1970s.Getty Images/iStockphoto
What is China’s position?
Unlike the US’ One China policy, Beijing adheres to its “One China principle.”
Though the names sounds similar, there is one important difference: The One China principle holds that there is only one nation of China, and Taiwan is part of it.
While it may seem like an idiosyncrasy, the Chinese principle takes a firm position on the island’s status, unlike the US’ policy.
Beijing believes in “one country, two systems,” meaning that Taiwan and other China-claimed self-governed areas may have a separate system of government, but are still part of China.
Blinken meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on June 19, 2023.Leah Millis/Pool Photo via AP
China regularly claims the US has violated the One China principle – while failing to mention the important differences between the American policy and Chinese principle.
Is Blinken’s position on Taiwan new?
The US has never formally supported Taiwan’s independence, so Blinken’s comments are not a surprise to those who closely follow Washington-Beijing relations.
While Beijing alleges that the United States supports the island’s independence with each senior official that visits Taipei, Washington holds that the current ambiguity in Taiwan-China relations should be maintained.
However, the One China policy continues to evolve with the competition between China and the US.
