The Chinese regime has been vocal about seizing Taiwan by force if necessary.
U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue reiterated in an Oct. 1 media appearance that U.S. policy on Taiwan hasn’t changed, following reports that Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping urged President Donald Trump to reject Taiwan independence.
“We said very clearly, we’re not changing the ‘One China’ policy,” Perdue said on CNBC’s Squawk Box. “We are going to adhere to the Taiwan Relations Act, the three communiques and the six assurances that were done under [President Ronald] Reagan. But this has served the world very well. We don’t want any coercion. We want this resolve peacefully.”
The “One China” policy refers to the United States recognizing the CCP as the governing body of China and reversing its recognition in 1979 of the Republic of China government that had retreated to Taiwan. The CCP has used the same term to assert that it is the sole governing body of China and to claim Taiwan is its territory, a position it has long pressured other nations to adopt.
The United States’ approach to Taiwan has been one of “strategic ambiguity,” neither recognizing the Chinese regime’s claim to sovereignty over Taiwan nor cutting off relations with the democratically self-governed island nation.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Sept. 27 that Beijing recently sought a change in rhetoric from Washington on Taiwan—asking the United States to say it would “oppose” Taiwan independence. The State Department has stated that U.S. policy on Taiwan has not changed, which Perdue echoed days later.
Xi has been vocal about his goal of seizing Taiwan by force if necessary, giving the Chinese military orders to be capable of doing so by 2027.
The request will reportedly come up during upcoming U.S.–China trade talks, which are happening at the highest level.
Trump has said twice now that he will meet with Xi at the upcoming APEC meeting, first announcing it after a long call with Xi that resulted in China agreeing to sell TikTok to the United States.
