Biden Secretary of State Anthony Blinken States That U.S. Does not Support Taiwanese Independence During Visit to Communist China

Following a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Secretary of State Antony Blinken reportedly reaffirmed Monday that the United States continues to uphold the “One China” policy and that it does not favor Taiwanese independence.

The timing of Blinken’s remark coincides with rising Taiwan-related hostilities between China and the United States.

“We do not support Taiwan independence. We remain opposed to any unilateral changes to the status quo by either side. We continue to expect the peaceful resolution of cross strait differences. We remain committed to continuing our responsibilities under the Taiwan Relations Act including making sure Taiwan has the ability to defend itself.” Blinken said on Monday during a press conference.

“At the same time, we and many others have deep concerns about some of the provocative actions that China has taken in recent years going back to 2016. And the reason that this is a concern for so many countries, not just the United States, is that were there to be a crisis over Taiwan, the likelihood is that could produce an economic crisis that could affect quite literally the entire world.” Blinken continued.

Ten Chinese aircraft violated the Taiwan Strait’s median line twice in as many days last week, prompting Taiwan’s air force to scramble fighter fighters.

There have been several recent close calls between Chinese and U.S. military aircraft, including an air intercept by a Chinese fighter jet over the South China Sea in late May.

This month, the U.S. military released video of a close encounter between a Chinese navy ship and an American destroyer in the Taiwan Strait.

China has mentioned the possibility of forcible annexing Taiwan, which has self-government, as part of its own territory.

Even though it acknowledges Beijing as the government of China, the United States still has informal contacts and military cooperation with Taiwan.

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