China has decided the status quo of Taiwan’s situation is no longer acceptable and has begun to ratchet up pressure on the self-governing island, including holding out the possibility of using force, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday (Oct 26).
Speaking at an event organised by Bloomberg, Blinken said China had altered a decades-old basic understanding between Washington and Beijing that its differences with Taiwan would be managed peacefully.
“What’s changed is this: The decision by the government in Beijing that that status quo was no longer acceptable, that they wanted to speed up the process by which they would pursue reunification,” Blinken said.
He added that China has also made decisions on exerting more pressure on Taiwan and holding out the possibility of “using force to achieve their goals” if pressure tactics do not work.
“That is what has fundamentally changed.”
Washington did not want a “Cold War” and was not trying to restrain China, he added, but was resolute and standing up for its interests.
Last week, the top US diplomat said Beijing was determined to pursue reunification with Taiwan “on a much faster timeline,” though he did not specify a date.