Global Times

Biden gropes his way to Taiwan as PLA prepares for worst

- By Wang Qi and Liu Xuanzun

At US President Joe Biden’s request, former US senator Chris Dodd and former deputy secretarie­s of state Richard Armitage and James Steinberg started visits to the island of Taiwan on Wednesday, a move that shows the Biden administra­tion is still groping its way for its Taiwan policy, testing the Chinese mainland while dodging the red line.

The visit came after a large- scale People’s Liberation Army ( PLA) aerial exercise on Monday near the island, which set a new record in the number of participat­ing warplanes. Chinese mainland analysts said the exercise could be a rehearsal of combat plans for the island and it demonstrat­es the PLA’s capability of not only crushing Taiwan’s military forces, but also driving away foreign forces.

Although the delegation was described as “unofficial” and intended to celebrate the 42nd anniversar­y of the Taiwan Relation Act ( TRA), a White House official called the visit a “personal signal” from Biden, the former officials’ “close friend,” according to the Reuters.

Zhao Lijian, spokespers­on of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said on Wednesday that China firmly opposes any form of official exchanges between the US and the island of Taiwan, and has lodged solemn representa­tions with the US.

Signed into law by then US president Jimmy Carter on April 10, 1979, the TRA defines an unofficial relationsh­ip with the island, as it only allows non- diplomatic ties with Taiwan, which is an important part of the US’ one- China policy.

Xin Qiang, deputy director of the Center for US Studies at Fudan University, told the Global Times on Wednesday that although the visiting delegation shows the US’ support to the island, it should be noted that the Biden administra­tion still maintains unofficial relations with Taiwan and Biden is unlikely to send any current senior officials to the island.

Some Taiwan politician­s hailed the delegation as a big success and signal of support from the new US administra­tion.

The visit is a kind of a “side- door entry,” but the White House has no intention of changing the nature of its ties with the island of Taiwan, Xin said.

Yuan Zheng, deputy director of the Institute of American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the visit shows that the Biden administra­tion has no intention of crossing China’s red line on the Taiwan question and is still groping for its Taiwan policy through testing the mainland.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from China