Original article behind paywall
British daily Financial Times claims Xi issued the warning in meeting with Ursula von der Leyen in April 2023.
China’s President Xi Jinping told European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen that Washington was trying to “goad Beijing into attacking Taiwan,” the Financial Times said on Saturday.
In a report based on information from people familiar with the matter, the British daily said Xi issued the warning in a meeting with von der Leyen in April 2023. She paid an official visit to China last year which coincided with the state visit of French President Emmanuel Macron.
According to the newspaper, Xi said the US was trying to trick China into invading Taiwan, but that he would not take the bait.
The revelation comes as tensions are high across the Taiwan Strait. China responded to last month’s inauguration of Lai Ching-te as Taiwan’s new president with military drills around the island, which it claims as its own. Taipei, however, insists on its independence since 1949.
Xi’s remarks are probably the first known case of him making the claim to a foreign leader.
The Chinese leader also said that a conflict with the US would undermine his goal of achieving a “great rejuvenation” by 2049.
US officials have, in recent years, increased engagement with Taiwan but the administration says it remains committed to its longstanding one-China policy.
At the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore this month, Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun said the country’s military was ready to “forcefully” stop Taiwan’s independence.
Earlier, the Foreign Ministry said those supporting independence for Taiwan would find themselves “crushed.”
U.S.: Please don’t attack Taiwan.
China: You’re trying to reverse psychology me into attacking, but I won’t be fooled.
U.S.: Oh, good. So, you agree not to attack Taiwan?
China: I will if I want to and it’s none of your business.
Sounds to me like a way of backing down from their saber-rattling and threats of invasion while trying to not look like they are backing down from anything.
[Realizes he’s talked up a war that would be disastrous, win or lose] “We’re not going to do that, it’s exactly what they want us to do”
Of course, that could also just be Xi being full of shit for diplomatic reasons. It’s not like he’d be bound by this in any way. “We’re not going to be tricked by their provocations” can always be followed by a “but now they’ve forced our hand.”
Okay, Pooh Bear. That means you need to show how you won’t ever do what the Western imperialists demand and thus China will recognize Taiwan’s sovereignty.
Oh wait, dictators get to have it both ways.
This is some 2 year old logic
Those imperialist western dogs! Imagine providing a deterence and actual consequences for Xi’s planned
invasionreunification of Taiwan. What were they thinking? That countries have the right to choose their own form of government and who their allies are? If they are allied with Western liberal democracies, then it stands to reason they are Nazis, anyway. Xi should really send in the tanks asap tokill anyone doesn’t agree with uskill all the Nazis andre-educateliberate the people!sounds like, “You made me hurt you!”
FAFO, sheepooh
The US would hate having to use their military.
