It’s not a casuality. The National Security Advisor of the Biden administration, Jake Sullivan, meets Yang Jiechi, the highest-ranking official in Chinese diplomacy, in neutral territory in Switzerland, to defuse the crisis between the two countries.
The agenda for the resumption of bilateral relations
On the trade agenda, of course, the US has just declared that it intends to hold steady its positions on duties and tariffs, but also the restoration of communication channels, starting precisely from the incandescent situation in Taiwan. The recent breakthroughs in the return to China of Meng Wanzhou, daughter of the founder of Huawei, on trial for years in Canada and the simultaneous release of the two Canadian citizens detained in China shows that eliminating obstacles, even the thorniest, is possible.
But on Taiwan, between Beijing and Washington it is a continuous question and answer, from a distance. “China must stop provoking with military activity near the island,” comments the White House. Toshimitsu Motegi, the Japanese foreign minister, hopes, for his part, “a peaceful solution through dialogue”.
China has accused the United States of sending “extremely wrong and irresponsible signals” in support of Taiwan. The sale of arms to Taiwan remains a critical element on the part of Beijing. “This attitude has compromised relations between the United States and China and destabilized the area,” said Hua Chunying, a spokesman for the foreign ministry.
China claims Taiwan as its territory, Taiwan claims to be an independent country and will therefore defend its sovereignty. Taiwan calls China’s repeated military activities “gray zone warfare,” designed both to wear down Taiwanese forces.