(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) It was recently revealed that Chinese President Xi Jinping warned Joe Biden last month that China will “reunify” with Taiwan.
In November 2023, Xi and Biden met during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit to discuss different important issues such as strengthening military communications and halting the production of fentanyl products, according to the Daily Caller.
During one of those meetings at the summit, Xi explicitly told Biden that China would “reunify” with Taiwan, both former and current U.S. officials said. The officials also said that, according to Xi, predictions that the communist country would invade and annex the island by 2025 or 2027 are false because Beijing hasn’t yet set a timetable for the operation.
China would prefer to peacefully reunify with Taiwan rather than have to take it by force, Xi told Biden.
The officials also added that Beijing wanted Biden to make a public announcement during the summit, in which he would denounce Taiwan’s independence and express his support for China’s plan to “reunify” with Taiwan.
The request was rejected by the White House, even though Secretary of State Antony Blinken previously made a similar statement immediately after he was told to do so by Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi during a June 2023 press conference in Beijing.
The news came when China became increasingly confrontational toward Taiwan by conducting air and naval exercises that took place dangerously close to the island. In addition to that, China also employed “cognitive warfare” campaigns within the island to undermine the faith in the democratic institutions and elected officials of the country among the Taiwanese people.
Xi was assertive with Biden but not aggressive, according to the officials.
“[Xi’s] language was no different than what he has always said. He is always tough on Taiwan. He’s always had a tough line,” one of the U.S. officials said.
Previously, Biden said multiple times that the U.S. would go to war to defend Taiwan if China ever invaded and the White House walked back these statements.