Xi Jinping told an EU leader that the US was trying to trick China into invading Taiwan, per the Financial Times, amid increasing tensions.
  • Xi Jinping accused the US of trying to trick China into invading Taiwan, the Financial Times said.
  • The Chinese leader made the claim to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, per the FT.
  • One expert told BI it’s a sign that China is “genuinely surprised” by the attitude of US officials.

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For decades, the US has adopted “strategic ambiguity” toward Taiwan, positioning itself as the country’s most steadfast ally, while declining to explicitly say whether it would come to Taiwan’s aid if China attacked.

But the mood in Washington, DC, seems to be shifting, with Congress showing itself more “overtly supportive of Taiwan than only a few years ago,” Graeme Thompson, an analyst with the Eurasia Group, told Business Insider in November.

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“The US has plenty of public figures now talking of Taiwan like it is a new Ukraine, and some even saying it needs to be diplomatically recognized,” Brown added.

  • vxx@lemmy.worldEnglish
    36·
    5 months ago

    while declining to explicitly say whether it would come to Taiwan’s aid if China attacked.

    “You didn’t want to get involved in the Ukraine conflict militarily for obvious reasons,” a reporter said to Mr. Biden. “Are you willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan if it comes to that?”

    “Yes,” Mr. Biden answered flatly.

    “You are?” the reporter followed up.

    “That’s the commitment we made,” he said.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/23/world/asia/biden-taiwan-china.html

    Sounds more like someone came to their senses but tries to save face…hopefully. You never know if this is just a strategic move to make others believe they won’t attack.