Mint Quick Edit | Beijing shouldn’t push the world into a Taiwan crisis
- Xi Jinping’s utterances on unifying Taiwan with China assume a darker tone in the context of an imminent power shift in the US. Every rising power must act responsibly and respect the liberties of others.
China’s President Xi Jinping had a message for Taiwan in his New Year’s speech.
“We Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same family," he said. “No one can ever sever the bond of kinship between us, and no one can ever stop China’s reunification."
A year ago, he had called it “inevitable" that the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan, which Beijing views as a rebel province, would unite.
Also read: China’s Xi nods to ‘external uncertainties’ in new year’s speech
So, what’s new? The geopolitical context. While US President Joe Biden had signalled a will to defend the autonomy of Taiwan, a major supplier of tech chips, President-elect Donald Trump has kept his policy stance vague.
Broadly, though, Trump has telegraphed a disposition to keep the US away from overseas military engagements, which might tempt Beijing to push ahead with plans to integrate the island.
Also read: A new intellectual hub for Chinese émigrés in Washington
As a Quad member committed to a free and open Indo-Pacific, India wouldn’t want an upheaval in the East.
But it’s for Beijing to recognize the risks of using force. A world split into rival blocs would be bad for global trade, economic growth and peace prospects.
Every rising power must act responsibly and respect the liberties of others.
Also read: Beijing has picked off Taiwan’s remaining allies. Taiwan is fighting back.
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