Beijing will reunify Taiwan with mainland China: Xi Jinping warns Joe Biden

21 December,2023 07:22 AM IST |  San Francisco  |  ANI

In a group meeting attended by a dozen American and Chinese officials, Xi told Biden that China`s preference is to take Taiwan peacefully, not by force, the officials said

Xi Jinping. Pic/AFP


Chinese President Xi Jinping has warned his US counterpart Joe Biden that Beijing will reunify Taiwan with mainland China but that the timing has not yet been decided, NBC News reported.

NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC.

Xi warned Biden during their recent summit in San Francisco, according to three current and former US officials.

In a group meeting attended by a dozen American and Chinese officials, Xi told Biden that China's preference is to take Taiwan peacefully, not by force, the officials said.

The Chinese president also referenced public predictions by US military leaders who say that Xi plans to take Taiwan in 2025 or 2027, telling Biden that they were wrong because he has not set a time frame, according to two current and one former official briefed on the meeting.

Chinese officials also asked in advance of the summit that Biden make a public statement after the meeting saying that the US supports China's goal of peaceful unification with Taiwan and does not support Taiwanese independence. The White House rejected the Chinese request reported NBC News.

A spokesperson for the National Security Council declined to comment.

The revelations provide previously unreported details about a critical meeting between the two leaders that was intended to reduce tensions between their countries, according to NBC News.

Xi's private warning to Biden, while not markedly different from his past public comments on reunifying Taiwan, got the attention of US officials because it was delivered at a time when China's behaviour towards Taiwan is seen as increasingly aggressive and ahead of a potentially pivotal presidential election in the self-governing democratic island next month.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
xi jinping Joe Biden china united states of america world news International news
Related Stories