Blinken and Senior Chinese Government Representatives Meeting: A Day Before Taiwan Elections

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to engage with senior Chinese official Liu Jianchao in Washington on Friday, as per the official State Department schedule. This meetup occurring on the eve of Taiwan’s presidential and parliamentary elections on January 13, constitutes a critical juncture testing the Biden administration’s endeavours to mitigate tensions between the United States and China.
The electoral contests in Taiwan, a territory contested by China, introduce a significant element of uncertainty into the Biden administration’s overarching objective of fostering stability in Sino-American relations.
While the publicly disseminated agenda of Secretary Blinken lacks elaborate details regarding the 10 a.m. Eastern Time (1500 GMT) meeting, it is poised to be the most recent development in a series of diplomatic exchanges between the United States and China, notably following the November summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in San Francisco.
Recent diplomatic engagements between the United States and China include a meeting on Wednesday between Liu and White House Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer, a telephone conversation on Thursday between U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, as well as the resumption of longstanding but dormant military talks between the two nations this week.
These diplomatic interactions seem strategically designed, at least in part, to safeguard the U.S.-China relationship, which experienced unprecedented deterioration in the preceding year, from the potential disruptions typically associated with elections in Taiwan.
Addressing the intricate dynamics, a senior U.S. administration official conveyed to reporters on Wednesday that, “The health of the U.S.-China relationship, I don’t think you can view as a derivative of cross-Strait tensions,” a senior U.S. administration official told reporters on Wednesday, adding that the aim was to manage tensions and try to avoid unintended conflict. Taiwan’s government has accused China of an unprecedented campaign of election interference, using everything from military activity to trade sanctions to sway the vote toward candidates Beijing may prefer. China has labeled those allegations “dirty tricks”.
The United States has issued a directive to China, advising against interference in the electoral processes of Taiwan, an autonomous and democratically governed island. The U.S. asserted that any escalation in military pressure emanating from China in response to the elections would position Beijing as the primary culprit.
It is noteworthy that China has not used force as a means to assert control over Taiwan.
The United States serves as the primary international supporter and arms provider for Taiwan, notwithstanding the absence of formal diplomatic relations between the two entities. China vehemently asserts that Taiwan represents its paramount red line and constitutes the most precarious issue within the broader context of U.S.-China relations. Beijing has explicitly cautioned that any endeavours by Taiwan towards formal independence would lead to conflict.
Liu Jianchao, the head of the international department of the Chinese Communist Party, overseeing diplomatic relations with foreign political parties. Formerly a prominent figure in anti-corruption efforts, Liu played a central role in Beijing’s initiatives to repatriate Chinese criminal suspects who had fled abroad, a campaign known as Operation Fox Hunt.
The United States has raised objections to this program, denouncing what it perceives as “transnational repression” tactics employed against Chinese dissidents. Criticisms include alleged instances of kidnappings and the exertion of pressure on the families of suspects.
Craig Singleton, a Chinese expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington said that the “Biden administration should reconsider the optics and consequences of engaging with an official tied to Operation Fox Hunt, if for no other reason that it undermines our commitment to supporting those who seek refuge from authoritarian regimes, like China,”
During the meeting between Liu Jianchao and White House Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer, it was communicated by the White House that Finer underscored the significance of fostering peace and stability in both the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. The latter, being a region characterized by heightened tensions, serves as a potential focal point due to Beijing’s growing assertiveness in asserting expansive territorial claims. This assertiveness has led to friction with neighboring countries, including the Philippines, a U.S. ally.