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.
DEFENSE: The National Security Bureau promised to expand communication and intelligence cooperation with global partners and enhance its strategic analytical skills China has not only increased military exercises and “gray zone” tactics against Taiwan this year, but also continues to recruit military personnel for espionage, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday in a report to the Legislative Yuan. The bureau submitted the report ahead of NSB Director-General Tsai Ming-yen’s (蔡明彥) appearance before the Foreign and National Defense Committee today. Last year, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted “Joint Sword-2024A and B” military exercises targeting Taiwan and carried out 40 combat readiness patrols, the bureau said. In addition, Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s airspace 3,070 times last year, up about
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 8:31am today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was located in Hualien County, about 70.3 kilometers south southwest of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 23.2km, according to the administration. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County, where it measured 3 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 2 in Hualien and Nantou counties, the CWA said.
The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) yesterday announced a fundraising campaign to support survivors of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28, with two prayer events scheduled in Taipei and Taichung later this week. “While initial rescue operations have concluded [in Myanmar], many survivors are now facing increasingly difficult living conditions,” OCAC Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) told a news conference in Taipei. The fundraising campaign, which runs through May 31, is focused on supporting the reconstruction of damaged overseas compatriot schools, assisting students from Myanmar in Taiwan, and providing essential items, such as drinking water, food and medical supplies,
New Party Deputy Secretary-General You Chih-pin (游智彬) this morning went to the National Immigration Agency (NIA) to “turn himself in” after being notified that he had failed to provide proof of having renounced his Chinese household registration. He was one of more than 10,000 naturalized Taiwanese citizens from China who were informed by the NIA that their Taiwanese citizenship might be revoked if they fail to provide the proof in three months, people familiar with the matter said. You said he has proof that he had renounced his Chinese household registration and demanded the NIA provide proof that he still had Chinese
RSS