{"id":56643,"date":"2021-10-26T23:08:59","date_gmt":"2021-10-26T23:08:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/10\/26\/us-china-sparring-over-taiwan-heats-up-anew\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T12:32:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T12:32:48","slug":"us-china-sparring-over-taiwan-heats-up-anew","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2021\/10\/26\/us-china-sparring-over-taiwan-heats-up-anew\/","title":{"rendered":"US, China sparring over Taiwan heats up anew"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 The United States and China are stepping up their war of words over Taiwan in a long-simmering dispute that has significant implications for the power dynamic in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amid a surge in Chinese military activity<\/a> near the island that China regards as a renegade province and has vowed to reclaim by force if necessary, Washington and Beijing have launched new campaigns for global support for their respective positions, each using the stern and lofty language of sovereignty and international precedent. And neither is backing down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the disagreement over Taiwan isn\u2019t new and has long vexed relations between the countries, recent developments suggest the two are coming closer to confrontation. Last week, President Joe Biden set off alarm bells in Beijing by saying the U.S. has a firm commitment to help Taiwan defend itself in the event of a Chinese attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

China protested<\/a> and the Biden administration sought to play down the comments. White House, State Department and Pentagon officials all said the president did not mean to imply any changes in the U.S. \u201cone-China policy,\u201d which recognizes Beijing but allows informal relations and defense ties with Taipei.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The officials took pains to say that America\u2019s commitment to Taiwan remains steadfast but continues to be guided by a policy of \u201cstrategic ambiguity\u201d over military-related specifics that falls short of a treaty-enshrined mutual defense pact. Since then, however, the administration has upped the ante on the diplomatic front.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday publicly urged other members of the United Nations to reject China\u2019s assertion of absolute sovereignty over Taiwan and join the U.S. in supporting Taipei\u2019s independent participation in international organizations related to transportation, health, climate change, culture and education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs the international community faces an unprecedented number of complex and global issues, it is critical for all stakeholders to help address these problems,\u201d Blinken said in a statement. \u201cThis includes the 24 million people who live in Taiwan. Taiwan\u2019s meaningful participation in the UN system is not a political issue, but a pragmatic one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He noted that Taiwan has been prevented from participating in meetings of the International Civil Aviation Organization despite being a major transit hub and the World Health Organization despite having fielded an effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTaiwan\u2019s exclusion undermines the important work of the UN and its related bodies, all of which stand to benefit greatly from its contributions,\u201d Blinken said. \u201cThat is why we encourage all UN Member States to join us in supporting Taiwan\u2019s robust, meaningful participation throughout the UN system and in the international community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

State Department spokesman Ned Price declined to elaborate on what the administration would define as \u201cmeaningful participation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blinken\u2019s statement came just five days after Biden\u2019s remarks about Taiwan\u2019s defense and only two days after the State Department announced that senior U.S. and Taiwanese officials met virtually to discuss expanding Taiwan\u2019s participation in UN and other international groupings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In that Oct. 22 meeting, administration officials \u201creiterated the U.S. commitment to Taiwan\u2019s meaningful participation at the World Health Organization and UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and discussed ways to highlight Taiwan\u2019s ability to contribute to efforts on a wide range of issues,\u201d the State Department said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apart from complaining about Biden\u2019s initial comments, China reacted angrily to that discussion, slamming the administration<\/a> for making \u201cirresponsible statements\u201d that encourage Taiwanese independence and demanding a halt to U.S. \u201cofficial contacts\u201d with the island\u2019s government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTaiwan\u2019s participation in activities of the international organizations must be handled in accordance with the one-China principle,\u201d foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said. \u201cTaiwan\u2019s attempts to expand its so-called \u2018international space\u2019 with foreign support are in nature seeking to expand the space for \u2018Taiwan independence\u2019 and secession. It will surely end in failure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t