According to an NBC News report, Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed his intentions to reunify Taiwan with China soon; the White House didn’t deny the report.
“I’m not gonna get into the specifics of the discussion between the two leaders,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Air Force One en route to Milwaukee. “I think you can understand I’m not gonna read out that private conversation.”
“President Xi has been public and clear about his desires for reunification — that’s not something that’s different or new,” Kirby added.
From NBC News:
Officials familiar with the conversation between Biden and Xi described the Chinese leader as blunt and candid, but not confrontational.
“His language was no different than what he has always said. He is always tough on Taiwan. He’s always had a tough line,” said a U.S. official with knowledge of the conversation.
Xi’s saber-rattling on Taiwan has been a top concern for Biden administration officials, who are aggressively trying to avoid a military conflict with China.
At last year’s Chinese Communist Party Congress, Xi stated publiclythat China would attack Taiwan militarily if it declares independence with foreign support. The Chinese leader said the threat of force “is directed solely at interference by outside forces and the few separatists seeking” Taiwanese independence.
More over at NBC News:
Chinese President Xi told President Biden during their recent summit in San Francisco that Beijing will reunify Taiwan with mainland China but the timing has not yet been decided, according to current and former U.S. officials. https://t.co/o3pELX83Sf
— NBC News World (@NBCNewsWorld) December 20, 2023
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