Taiwan ‘most prominent risk’ in China-US ties, FM says after ‘candid’ Blinken talks

China’s foreign minister said on Sunday that Taiwan represented the “most prominent risk” to relations with the US, after Chinese FM Qin Gang met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the two top diplomats held “candid” talks in Beijing amid heightened tensions between both countries.

“The Taiwan issue is the core of China’s core interests, the most important issue in China-US relations and the most prominent risk,” the Chinese foreign ministry quoted Qin as having told Blinken who is the first US Secretary of State to visit China in five years.

US-China tension over Taiwan has become one of the key points of contention in their bilateral relationship. This issue stems from different interpretations of the “One-China” policy, which the US acknowledges but does not explicitly recognize.

China views Taiwan as a renegade province that must ultimately be reunified with the mainland, even by force if necessary, the US has a long-standing commitment to ensuring Taiwan’s security and has maintained a robust informal relationship with Taiwan, including supplying it with defensive weapons. This disagreement over Taiwan’s status and future has led to frequent escalations and has added to the strategic rivalry between Washington and Beijing.

The ministry stated that the two diplomats’ discussion was long and described the talks as “candid, in-depth and constructive.”

The Chinese foreign minister told Blinken that China is committed to building a “stable, predictable and constructive” relationship with the US. He also expressed Beijing’s hope that Washington would “uphold an objective and rational understanding of China, meet China hallway, maintain the political foundation of China-US relations and handle unexpected incidents calmly, professionally and rationally.”

President Joe Biden’s administration has sought to bolster diplomatic engagement with Beijing, aiming to mitigate escalating tensions arising from various contentious issues. Key amongst those are: China’s territorial claim over the democratically governed Taiwan, and its growing military activity in the South China Sea.

Recently, efforts for open dialogue took a hit when the Chinese government declined a proposed meeting between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart. The Chinese defense ministry spokesperson blamed the current diplomatic strain on the US, alleging that despite expressing an interest in open communication, the US consistently disregarded China’s concerns and erected artificial obstacles that severely damaged mutual trust between the two military powers.

Rising tensions were further underscored by a recent incident in the volatile Taiwan Strait, where the US navy reported an “unsafe interaction” as a Chinese warship crossed paths with a US destroyer. This event amplified the potential for future confrontations, which could lead to uncontrolled escalations.

While China had stressed its readiness to stabilize relations and explore cooperation, it also vowed to robustly counter any US provocations.

The China-US relationship entered a further complex phase in February when Blinken cancelled a trip to China after a suspected Chinese spy balloon traversed US airspace, adding another layer of tension to an already strained relationship.