The United States they would be trying every way to provoke an invasion of Taiwan on the part of the China. This is the content of a message that Xi Jinping in person he would forward it to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen during a meeting between the two which took place in April 2023. It seems that the Chinese president also issued the warning to his country’s internal officials, explaining that Washington would like trick Beijing inducing it to launch an offensive against the island. Xi, however, told his interlocutors that he would not take the bait.
Xi’s revelation on Taiwan
The entire story was reconstructed in a long article published by Financial Timeswhich cited sources familiar with the matter, according to whom the US had attempted to provoke China supplying weapons to Taiwan and taking other measures to draw Beijing into a military confrontation. In fact, upon closer inspection, speaking at the Asia Society last January, Cui Tiankaiformer Chinese ambassador to Washington, had stated that China “he will not fall into the trap that someone might prepare“, launching a veiled reference to the United States.
The revelation of Xi’s alleged thoughts on the Taiwanese dossier was released amid tension in the Taiwan Strait it started to rise again. Beijing recently responded to the inauguration of the newly elected president Lai Ching-te – which the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has described as a “dangerous separatist“, having a history of supporting Taiwan’s independence from China and not recognizing the Beijing government’s claims of sovereignty – with impressive military exercises throughout the island.
The alleged US plan and information from the Chinese leader
Xi also stated, again in the meeting with Von der Leyen, that a conflict with the United States would destroy many of China’s successes and undermine the country’s goal of achieving a series of strategic goals by 2049.
“If Xi truly believes that the United States seeks to spark a conflict with China over Taiwan, then concerns that the Chinese leader has created an information vacuum or is taking tips from his subordinates are, worryingly, true“said Jude Blanchette, a China expert at the think tank CSIS. “Whatever the explanation for Xi’s comments, it is clear that the decision-making environment and the information that flow into it have been distorted, either by the Chinese president’s lieutenants, or by his own behavior“Blanchette added.
The Chinese embassy in Washington did not comment on the report FT on Xi, but said the United States is selling weapons to Taiwan and supporting “separatist forces for independence“. Von der Leyen’s spokesperson instead reported that he had not revealed details on the private meetings of the president of the European Commission. No comment from the White House.
Recall that Washington has an obligation to assist Taiwan in providing for its defense under the Taiwan
Relations Acthowever the president’s administration Joe Biden has long emphasized that it does not support Taiwanese independence and that it opposes unilateral changes to the status quo.
