The political status of Taiwan has remained a divisive geopolitical issue over the last several decades. China claims the island as its own territory and has been hostile toward foreign powers that do not recognize its claim. Many in Taiwan and abroad, however, view it as an independent nation. A recent poll found that 52 percent of Americans believe that “other countries should provide help to Taiwan” if it were to be attacked by China.
The Global Times is a daily tabloid news outlet published by People’s Daily, a publishing outfit that is operated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Like other state-run outlets, the outlet’s editorial page is frequently used to express the views and stances of the CCP.
On Friday, the outlet published a piece titled, “Talking ‘peace’ without ‘one China’ is inflaming war in Taiwan Straits.” It was written in response to comments made on Wednesday by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in which he said that China was looking to put greater pressure on the pursuit of “reunification” with Taiwan.
“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 at an event hosted by Bloomberg. “That is what has fundamentally changed.”
In response, the tabloid’s editorial admonished Blinken and the United States for such comments, which it said to be in defiance of Beijing’s “one China” stance. It said that such comments were allegedly born out of a desire to gain political points ahead of the midterm elections in November, and an attempt to give signals of “Taiwan independence” to the country’s government.
“The island’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities and secessionist forces have long been helpless addicts who can easily get high over the slightest ‘false signal’ concocted for them by Washington,” the editorial said. “Once Washington fails to supply them with such a signal in time for whatever reason, they will feel flustered and devastated. They have already stepped on a desperate path to satisfy their need for ‘political drugs’ to hypnotize, deceive and cheer up themselves.”
Furthermore, the editorial said any attempts to discuss peace in the Taiwan Straits without acknowledging the “one China” would incite future conflict in the region. It insisted that “Taiwan is a part of China, and the sovereignty and territory of China have never been divided.”
The piece continued: “Using the excuse of seeking ‘peace’ to instigate war, Washington has long demonstrated its hypocrisy, and the truth has become clearer: It’s the Taiwan secessionists and external forces, as well as the increasingly rampant US-Taiwan collusion, that are the perpetrators of destroying the peaceful environment across the Straits.”
Newsweek reached out to the State Department for comment.
