Xi warned Biden during summit that Beijing will reunify Taiwan with China

[Right_in_Virginia]

Xi warned Biden during summit that Beijing will reunify Taiwan with China
NBC News, Dec 20, 2023

WASHINGTON — Chinese President Xi Jinping bluntly told President Joe Biden during their recent summit in San Francisco that Beijing will reunify Taiwan with mainland China but that the timing has not yet been decided, according to three current and former U.S. officials.

Xi told Biden in a group meeting attended by a dozen American and Chinese officials that China’s preference is to take Taiwan peacefully, not by force, the officials said.

The Chinese leader also referenced public predictions by U.S. military leaders who say that Xi plans to take Taiwan in 2025 or 2027, telling Biden that they were wrong because he has not set a time frame, according to the two current and one former official briefed on the meeting.

[...]

Xi’s private warning to Biden, while not markedly different from his past public comments on reunifying Taiwan, got the attention of U.S. officials because it was delivered at a time when China’s behavior toward Taiwan is seen as increasingly aggressive and ahead of a potentially pivotal presidential election in the self-governing democratic island next month.


More:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/china/xi-warned-biden-summit-beijing-will-reunify-taiwan-china-rcna130087

[Right_in_Virginia]

In China's eyes we're all separatists, Taiwan presidential frontrunner says
Reuters, Dec 20, 2023

TAIPEI, Dec 20 (Reuters) - In China's eyes all three Taiwan presidential candidates are separatists, the frontrunner to be the island's next leader said on Wednesday in a fractious joint televised address with the other contenders.

The Jan. 13 presidential and parliamentary elections will define Chinese-claimed Taiwan's ties with Beijing, and are happening as China steps up military activities around the island to assert its sovereignty claims.

China has rebuked current Vice President Lai Ching-te, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) presidential candidate and leading in the polls, as a dangerous separatist, and portrayed the vote as a choice between war and peace.

In a live televised pre-election policy address by the three presidential candidates - an actual debate comes later this month - Lai said China's desire to "swallow up" Taiwan was the country's national policy.

"Don't foolishly allow China to define Taiwan independence," he said, standing next to the other two candidates, Hou Yu-ih from Taiwan's largest opposition party the Kuomintang, and former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je of the much smaller Taiwan People's Party.

"Mayor Hou and Chairman Ko, in the eyes of China, the three of us standing here running for president are all for Taiwan independence," Lai added.

More:
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/chinas-eyes-were-all-separatists-taiwan-presidential-frontrunner-says-2023-12-20/

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/InstaNewsAlerts/status/1737453492313141690