It seems Beijing wants to remove the status quo vis-à-vis Taiwan

According to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, China wants to remove the status quo vis-à-vis Taiwan. In his opinion, Beijing has shifted gears. It is apparently pursuing unification with Taiwan "on a much faster timeline." This is evident from the opening speech at the Communist party Congress in Beijing. On this occasion, President Xi Jinping did not rule out using force to unify with Taiwan. China treats the self-ruled island as a part of its territory. However, Taiwan does not agree – it sees itself as distinct from the mainland. Incidentally, last month US President Joe Biden had indicated that US forces would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack. This is in spite of the fact that there exists ambiguity on the official US policy pertaining to Taiwan. During a recent event where previous Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was present, Antony Blinken said that Beijing could resort to alternate means like coercion and possible force if it failed to achieve unification by peaceful means. He went on to add - "That is what is profoundly disrupting the status quo and creating tremendous tensions." China-Taiwan: Beijing speeding up plans for unification, Blinken says.

Washington has always walked a diplomatic tightrope over the issue of Taiwan and China. Antony Blinken said that the US would honor its commitments to Taiwan and support the island's ability to defend itself. The official policy of the US does not commit to military action on Taiwan. However, President Biden has apparently gone against this stance. He has repeatedly emphasized that Washington would defend Taiwan. China is currently holding a twice-in-a-decade party congress. The expectation is that he would return to a historic third time in office. In his opening remarks, he insisted, "complete reunification of our country must and will be realized." Tensions between US and China have escalated in recent months, following a visit to Taipei by US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi. As a result, China conducted large-scale military exercises. Taiwan condemned it as "highly provocative."

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