The United States and China are intensifying their verbal sparring over Taiwan, a long-simmering disagreement with far-reaching consequences in the power dynamics in Indo-Pacific regions and beyond.
In the wake of a surge in Chinese military activity near the island that Beijing regards as a renegade province that it has vowed to reclaim by force if necessary, Washington and Beijing have launched new campaigns for international support for their respective positions, each using the stern and lofty language of sovereignty. Neither party is going to back down.
While the dispute over Taiwan isn’t new and has long plagued relations between the two countries, recent events indicate that the two are on the verge of colliding. President Joe Biden set off alarm bells in Beijing last week when he stated that the US is committed to assisting Taiwan in defending itself in the event of a Chinese invasion.
China reacted angrily, and the Biden administration attempted to downplay the remarks. Officials from the White House, State Department and Pentagon stated that Biden did not intend to imply any changes to the United States’ ‘one-China policy,’ which recognises Beijing but allows informal interactions and defence deals with Taipei.
The officials went out of their way to stress that America’s commitment to Taiwan is unwavering, but that it is guided by a policy of ‘strategic ambiguity’ on military-related details that falls short of a treaty-based mutual defence guarantee.
Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State, publicly urged other United Nations members to reject China’s claim to absolute sovereignty over Taiwan and join the US in supporting Taipei’s independent participation in international organisations dealing with transportation, health, climate change, culture, and education on Tuesday.
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