The tension has been high when it comes to Taiwan and China. China had been increasing the number of warplanes they sent into Tawainese airspace, and with the rhetoric back and forth it seemed like we were about to be in a conflict any day now. But in a single phone call with the Chinese, President Biden claims he has brought us back to neutral.
“I’ve spoken with Xi about Taiwan. We agree we will abide by the Taiwan agreement. That’s where we are and I made it clear that I don’t think he should be doing anything other than abiding by the agreement,” Biden told reporters.
The Taiwan Relations Act, one of several planks undergirding the current diplomatic relationship between the U.S., China and Taiwan, was passed by Congress in 1979 in order to “maintain peace, security, and stability in the Western Pacific” by maintaining “friendly commercial, cultural, and other relations” between Washington and Taipei.
The law maintains unofficial, nondiplomatic relations between Taiwan and the U.S., allowing for it to be treated as a foreign country without being officially recognized.
It also hinged the establishment of future U.S.-China diplomatic relations on the understanding that Taiwan’s future would be determined peacefully.”
But turns out there isn’t really an agreement so much as an understanding…
“China experts were vexed by Biden’s comments for one simple reason: There is no “Taiwan agreement” with Beijing. The U.S. does adhere to a One China policy, according to which it acknowledges that the People’s Republic claims Taiwan as part of its territory, but Washington does not recognize the Chinese claim.”
So really there is no agreement and Biden is just trying to put Americans at ease, when we are at the brink of conflict with China. I guess that makes more sense than Biden actually negotiating peace.