Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) told European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that the US is luring China into a military conflict over Taiwan, the Financial Times cited a source as saying.
Xi told Von der Leyen that the US was “trying to provoke Beijing by providing weapons to Taiwan,” but he would “not take the bait,” the Financial Times reported yesterday,
The remarks were made during a meeting between Xi and Von der Leyen in April last year, it said.
Photo: Reuters
The report also quoted Center for Strategic and International Studies Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette as saying that Xi might have “created an information vacuum or is otherwise getting poor counsel from subordinates.”
Former Chinese ambassador to the US Cui Tiankai (崔天凱) echoed Xi’s comments in a speech at the Asia Society in January when he said China would “not fall into the trap somebody may be preparing for us,” the report said.
Under the Taiwan Relations Act, Washington has an obligation to provide Taiwan with the defense articles it needs to defend itself, but US President Joe Biden’s administration has long reiterated that it opposes unilateral changes to the “status quo,” the report said.
Nevertheless, Beijing has grown anxious in the past few years over the US’ intentions regarding Taiwan, and Washington has grown concerned about Chinese military activity in the Taiwan Strait.
It is possible that Xi’s remarks were due to subordinates trying to steer him away from more aggressive policies, Blanchette said, adding that “it’s clear that the decisionmaking environment [in Beijing] is being warped.”
Separately, German Marshall Fund Indo-Pacific program managing director Bonnie Glaser said that Xi might be trying to drive a wedge between the US and the EU, particularly on the issue of Taiwan’s defense. However, it is also possible that Xi genuinely believes the US trying to lure China into a conflict, she said.
Von der Leyen would not confirm details about her meeting with Xi, and the White House refused to comment, the report said.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to