Blinken Urges Top Chinese Officials To Maintain Stability As Taiwan Votes

Hours before voters in Taiwan went to the polls to elect a new president, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken requested Beijing to uphold cross-strait stability on Friday during a meeting with a top Chinese official.

Blinken spoke with Liu Jianchao, the head of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee’s foreign division, while he was short back in Washington between his most recent tour of the Middle East crises and a visit to the World Economic Forum in Davos.

In a statement, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said, “The two sides had a constructive discussion on a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues, including areas of potential cooperation and areas of difference”.

“The Secretary reiterated the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the South China Sea”, Miller continued.

Taiwan, a self-governing democracy claimed by Beijing, goes to the polls on Saturday, with Beijing labeling the front-runner, Lai Ching-te, as a severe danger due to previous comments supportive of outright independence.

But Lai has been cautious on the campaign trail, and US officials say privately that Chinese words and actions are not unusual for a Taiwan election.

The United States, although only recognizing Beijing, gives armaments to Taiwan to secure its defence, since China has not ruled out using force to reunify.

“The US has deep confidence in Taiwan’s democratic process and believes it is for Taiwan voters to decide their next leader free from outside interference”, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said Thursday.

President Joe Biden’s administration intends to send an unofficial mission to Taiwan following the election, as announced in advance and regarded as customary.

Support for Taiwan is particularly strong in the United States Congress, where the Senate overwhelmingly passed a resolution on Thursday praising Taiwan for the example it has set for self-governance, not just for the Pacific region, but for the world.

Blinken also had a separate meeting at the State Department on Friday with Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa.

The trip by Liu, a rising player in Chinese policymaking, comes as the United States and China increase talks to alleviate tensions that have risen in recent years.

At their November meeting in San Francisco, Presidents Biden and Xi Jinping the two superpowers decided to resume military talks, which Washington views as essential to averting disasters.

Liu spoke at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York on Tuesday, adopting a conciliatory tone and offering no criticism of the United States.

Liu previously met with Jon Finer, the deputy national security adviser, at the White House.

Also read: Search Operation On Two US Navy Sailors Missing Off Somalia Coast