The Presidential Office on Thursday thanked U.S. President Joe Biden for his comments supporting peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait following his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). The two leaders met on the sidelines of the APEC summit in San Francisco on Wednesday.
Presidential Office Spokesperson Olivia Lin (林聿禪) commented on the meeting Thursday, thanking Biden for his support. Lin also thanked Biden for calling on China to restrain its military actions toward Taiwan and to refrain from interfering in Taiwan’s elections.
Lin says that Biden has demonstrated strong support for Taiwan since taking office in 2021. She also says that joint statements from the U.S. with other countries calling for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait demonstrated the international collaboration on this issue, citing joint statements with Australia, the G7 countries, and at the Trilateral Leaders’ Summit with South Korea and Japan.
The Foreign Ministry also addressed the Biden-Xi meeting. Specifically, the ministry addressed China’s reported comments in the meeting that it has no plans to attack Taiwan before particular years predicted by analysts and media personalities, such as 2027 or 2035.
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Jeff Liu on Thursday said the government will never speculate on whether China will attack Taiwan. He says the government's policy remains to strengthen Taiwan’s national defense while seeking international support. He says Taiwan will not act provocatively but will also not succumb to pressure.