China determined to reunify Taiwan, Xi told Biden at November meet

It wasn’t as easy as one may have imagined for US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping to meet last month in San Francisco. Xi reportedly told Biden up front that Beijing would reunite Taiwan with the Chinese mainland, according to NBC News. Xi said that he had not yet established a deadline for Taiwan’s reunification. According to reports, Xi informed Biden that China prefers to reclaim Taiwan amicably rather than militarily. Most United Nations members acknowledge Taiwan as China’s territory. Taiwan is an island nation with a democratically elected government of its own. It maintains diplomatic ties with the US. According to a report by news agency Reuters, in February, US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director William J. Burns stated that, as “a matter of intelligence,” Xi had given the Chinese military orders to prepare for an invasion of Taiwan by 2027. Burns made it clear that this did not mean China will invade Taiwan in 2027, but the intelligence did indicate Xi’s “ambitions” in that area. Biden was apparently informed by Xi that he had not established a deadline for Taiwan’s reunification with China. At the summit on November 15, which aimed to reduce tensions between the US and China, Xi made these remarks. Xi’s remarks to Biden further clarify his position. He has previously made it known in public that he wants to see Taiwan reunited with China. However, given their timing—the self-governing island nation of Taiwan is scheduled to hold presidential elections on January 13, 2024—his recent remarks have caught the attention of US officials. According to reports, Beijing has already increased its attempts to sway Taiwanese voters in favour of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), which hopes to unseat the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which is currently in power. Beijing has referred to the DPP as “separatist,” whereas the KMT wants better ties between Taiwan and China. (With agency inputs)