Xi asked Biden to change his wording on Taiwan

DISCUSSION ON INDEPENDENCE:
Beijing would love for US President Joe Biden to say very different things than he says about Taiwan, a senior US administration official said.

• By Trevor Hunnicutt, Laurie Chen and Yimou Lee / Reuters, TAIPEI, WASHINGTON and BEIJING

Chinese President Xi Jinping asked U.S. President Joe Biden last year to change the language the United States uses when discussing its position on Taiwan independence, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the conversation private.

At a Biden-Xi meeting in November last year near San Francisco, Xi and his aides asked Biden and his team to change the language of official US statements.

China wanted the United States to state that it opposes Taiwan independence, rather than the current version that the United States does not support Taiwan independence, said these people, who requested anonymity to speak about private diplomatic exchanges in which they participated or about which they were informed.

Photo: Reuters

Xi's aides followed up on those requests multiple times in the months that followed, according to two U.S. officials and another person familiar with the exchanges.

The United States refused to make this change.

The White House responded to a request for comment with a statement reiterating the line that Washington does not support Taiwan's independence.

The Biden-[US Vice President Kamala] The Harris administration has been consistent on its long-standing One China policy, the statement said.

You should ask the US government this question. China's position on the Taiwan issue is clear and consistent, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

In Taipei, the Foreign Ministry declined to comment.

For several years, Chinese diplomats have pushed the United States to change how it refers to Taiwan's status.

This unusually direct and renewed push at the leadership level has not been previously reported.

It's unclear why Xi raised the issue with Biden, but he has made opposition to Taiwan independence a priority of his term and the Chinese military has significantly ramped up its activities in the country in recent years. years.

The Biden administration views the proposed language change as a failure.

Taiwan has been informed at a high level of Washington's recent overtures, one of the sources said.

Beijing's leaders would love for Joe Biden to say very different things than he says about Taiwan, a senior Biden administration official said no doubt, adding that Biden would stick to standard U.S. wording to talk about Taiwan's independence.

During his term, Biden antagonized the Chinese government with comments that appeared to suggest the United States would defend the nation if it were attacked, a deviation from the long-standing U.S. position of strategic ambiguity.

A shift by Washington to oppose Taiwan independence would impact the trade-rich Asia-Pacific region, as well as America's partners, competitors and adversaries.

Officials from two governments in the region told reporters they would interpret such a change in wording as a shift in U.S. policy toward less support for Taipei's military and diplomatic aspirations, at a time when Beijing has stepped up its military pressure .

Any change in language could also be seen as a sign of a shift in U.S. policy, moving from support for resolving Taiwan's future through peaceful talks to a policy suggesting that the United States opposes to Taiwanese aspirations whatever the circumstances.

In 2022, the US State Department changed its website on Taiwan, removing language that it did not support Taiwan's independence and recognized Beijing's position that Taiwan was part of China.

He then reinstated language that he did not support Taiwan independence.

The two leaders are expected to speak again before Biden's term ends in January, talks that could take place by phone or on the sidelines of next month's G20 summit in Brazil or the APEC summit in Peru.

APEC is one of the few international forums in which Taiwan and China participate.