Chinese State Media: "Provocations by the US and Taiwan Will Continue"

U.S. President Joe Biden (left in the photo) and Chinese President Xi Jinping are holding a virtual meeting on the 16th (local time). (Photo by Xinhua News Agency)

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo Yujin] Chinese President Xi Jinping issued a strong warning to the United States and Taiwan regarding the Taiwan issue, even using the expression "playing with fire," but Chinese state media reported that provocations by the U.S. and Taiwan will continue.

On the 17th, the Global Times stated that this is the first time China's top leader has issued such a strong, resolute, and direct warning to the U.S. on the Taiwan issue, but that the U.S. stance on Taiwan is unlikely to change significantly.

The Global Times, citing experts, analyzed that the U.S. will not stop using the Taiwan card to contain China, and that China will strengthen its countermeasures against new provocations by the U.S. and separatist attempts by Taiwan authorities.

Li Pei, a professor at the Taiwan Research Institute of Xiamen University, said, "President Xi's remarks are a warning that if the U.S. pushes Taiwan authorities' 'pawn' beyond the red line on the chessboard, affecting China's peaceful development, China will have no choice but to resolve the Taiwan issue by all means, regardless of the cost."

He predicted that despite Xi's warning, "Taiwan authorities will maintain a separatist stance and continue provocations to resist China's aspiration for complete unification."

Shao Zhonghai, a legislator from Taiwan's main opposition party, the Kuomintang, and a cross-strait relations scholar, said, "President Biden's mention of support for the 'One China' policy should not be seen as a change in attitude," adding, "China should be cautious about such ambiguous terms."

He also argued that the fact that the U.S. is selling weapons such as missiles to Taiwan lowers the credibility of President Biden's remarks, claiming that the U.S. is politically encouraging Taiwan's separatists.

Zhang Yazhong, president of the Sun Yat-sen School, a research institute of the Kuomintang, predicted, "The Democratic Progressive Party will try to offset positive signals of easing tensions between the U.S. and China," and "They will exaggerate friendly relations through upcoming confidential dialogue channels between the U.S. and Taiwan, such as the Defense Review Talks and the Taipei Political-Military Dialogue."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.