Bringing Taiwan back under the control of mainland China, which sees the island as a rebel territory. “It is a historic mission and an unshakable commitment of the Communist Party and also a shared aspiration to bring about national rejuvenation.” This is what is stated in the historical resolution of Xi Jinping, president of the People’s Republic of China. Approved by the party’s plenum, it was picked up by news agencies on November 16, the day of the bilateral meeting between China and the United States.
A four-hour virtual interview characterized by relaxed tones and some moments of tension on the points that historically divide the two powers. Among these, in fact, the question of Taiwan. Biden stressed that the US “is firmly opposed to unilateral attempts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.” The response of the counterpart of the People’s Republic is equally firm: encouraging independence “is extremely dangerous, like playing with fire. Whoever plays with it gets burned. Humanity lives in a global village, we face many challenges together ».
According to the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense, eight Chinese military aircraft breached the island’s aerial identification space on November 16. Among these there would also be two are J-16 fighters. Taipei responded by mobilizing its aircraft, with a radio warning and the activation of the missile air defense system. The number of Chinese military aircraft reported today is the highest in recent weeks and matches that of October 31, when the Taiwan issue was addressed by the Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, and his US counterpart, Antony Blinken, on the sidelines. of the G20 in Rome.
Taiwan, or the Republic of China, is an island state made up of the island of Formosa and some small neighboring archipelagos off the southeastern coasts of the Asian subcontinent. Not recognized by many members of the international community, it nevertheless maintains a dense network of diplomatic relations. Chiang Kai-shek’s Chinese nationalists found shelter on the island after being defeated by Mao Tse-Tung in 1949. Mainland China claims its sovereignty, considering it strategic territory for trade and maritime control in the area.