« One China’s politics, » Sullivan told Zakaria, « if you start to unpack it, you’ll recognize that it’s about dealing with a world of internal tensions within politics and trying to manage those tensions effectively to ensure peace and stability. » around the world Taiwan Strait. This is not a model of clarity, the policy of One China « .
But Biden has repeatedly said that the US would indeed defend Taiwan with military force if China invades the island, which he has always claimed is part of its territory. « Yes, if in fact there was an unprecedented attack, » Biden told interviewer Scott Pelley in September 2022 on CBS’ « 60 Minutes. »
Sullivan suggested Biden’s statements were consistent with existing American policy, though Zakaria said « there is a contradiction » in analyzing Biden’s remarks.
“The fact is that what it lacks in clarity,” he said, “the One China policy has managed to actually achieve the practical goal of decades of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. That is why our policy has not changed.“
“That is why we believe the One China policy should continue to ensure that there are no unilateral changes to the status quo by either side. And that we maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait for decades to come. »
Tensions in the Taiwan Strait, some 110 miles wide, have been heightened in recent months.
On Sunday, China’s defense minister defended the sailing of a warship near a US destroyer and a Canadian frigate in those waters. The day before, at the same international forum in Singapore, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had said that the United States would not « back down in the face of bullying or coercion » by China.
