Taiwan is the center of semiconductor production, on which China relies, and the adjacent Taiwan Strait is a major trade route that contributes to regional economic stability.
Blinken’s comments came days after Taiwanese voters elected Lai Ching-de of the Democratic Progressive Party as the country’s next president. Among the candidates, Lai was the least popular figure in the Chinese government, as he is likely to maintain the Democratic Progressive Party’s status quo when it comes to relations with mainland China and the United States.
Taiwanese authorities reported multiple attempts by the Chinese government to influence the election through increased military pressure and disinformation campaigns in the weeks leading up to the election.
Despite China’s dislike of Lai, the White House has supported him and offered several congratulations to the president-elect. This further infuriated the Chinese government.
“The US State Department’s statement regarding elections in China’s Taiwan region grossly violates the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, and only promotes cultural, commercial, and other informal ties with China. “This violates the United States’ own political commitments to preserve the “Taiwanese people,” China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
“This also sends a grave wrong signal to the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces. We strongly regret this, firmly oppose this, and seriously expressed this to the US side,” the statement said.
In Davos, Blinken reiterated the U.S.’s official position on Taiwan and China, saying China supports Taiwan’s democratic system but not independence.
It is inevitable that Taiwan’s election results will have ripple effects on the geopolitical climate and economic situation. The United States is also preparing accordingly.
Days before Taiwanese voters head to the polls, the White House announced that it was preparing various contingency plans for possible “periods of heightened tension.”
“I don’t want to go into details about them, but of course we have to be prepared and consider all contingencies from no response to the higher ups,” a senior government official said Wednesday.
China, which claims sovereignty over Taiwan, has made clear its intention to unify Taiwan with the mainland, including in one-on-one talks between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping. China has not ruled out using military force to pursue its goals.
“Our focus is on maintaining peace and stability, and we’ve made that clear to China and we’ve made that clear to Taiwan,” Blinken said.