TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平) told President Joe Biden during their recent San Francisco summit on Nov. 15 that Beijing will unify Taiwan with China, NBC News reported on Wednesday (Dec. 20).
Xi told Biden during a meeting with a dozen American and Chinese officials that Beijing prefers to take Taiwan peacefully, not by force, NBC News cited three current and former U.S. officials as saying. Xi also added U.S. military predictions that Beijing intends to invade Taiwan in 2025 or 2027 were incorrect as he has not set a time frame, the report noted.
Ahead of the summit, Chinese officials also asked Biden to make a public statement after the meeting saying Washington supports Beijing’s goal of peaceful unification with Taiwan and does not support Taiwanese independence, sources told NBC News. The White House turned down the Chinese request.
In response to the report, Senator Lindsey Graham said, “This story as reported is beyond unnerving.” He added, “I will be working with Democratic and Republican senators to do two things quickly. First, create a robust defense supplemental for Taiwan, and second, draft pre-invasion sanctions from hell to impose on China if they take action to seize Taiwan.”
Officials familiar with the conversation between the two leaders told NBC News that Xi was 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,” one American official said to the outlet.
