The United States and China clashing over Taiwan saw the opening of a new front with China objecting to Washington’s decision to invite Taiwan to its democracy summit, with the Chinese foreign ministry arguing that the decision to invite Taiwan is a “mistake” and cautioning the US not to collude with Taiwan “independence” separatist forces. The Chinese reaction came after Washington included Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy claimed by Beijing as a breakaway region, in the list of participants in the “Summit for Democracy”, to be held in December. A total of 110 countries have been invited by the US for the virtual summit on 9 and 10 December, including India. Out of all the major regional powers, only China and Russia are not invited.
As per Washington the proposed conference is aimed at stopping democratic backsliding and the erosion of rights and freedoms worldwide. Talking to reporters in Beijing on the issue, Zhao Lijian, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said, “China firmly opposes the US invitation to the Taiwan authorities to participate in the so-called Summit for Democracy”, while adding that Taiwan is “an inalienable part of Chinese territory”. The invitation comes days after the United States and China held a Presidential level video summit in which the Chinese president brought up the Taiwanese issue and the US support for the cause of Taiwanese independence.
The issue of Taiwan always hurts China, which had in recent months increased aerial pressure on the island and accused the West of helping Taiwan. Zhao added that “there is only one China in the world, and the government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China”. His statement reads, “Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory and the one-China principle. It is a generally accepted norm of international relations. Apart from being part of China, Taiwan has no other status in international law, there is only one China in the world, and the government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China.”
As per sources in Washington, US President Joe Biden had said to his Chinese counterpart in the conference that “the United States strongly opposes unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait”.
Talking to The Daily Guardian, New Delhi-based security and strategic affairs expert, Ved Pratap, said, “The United States has realised that it needs to up the ante on China as far as Taiwan is concerned. If the US would not have acted in this way after repeated Chinese aggression in Taiwan Strait, then other neighbours of China who feel threatened by its bullying tactics would have believed that the US is withdrawing from the region.”
