Taiwan Elections: In an attempt to talk Beijing out of “taking action,” Blinken will meet with a top China official

On the day of Taiwan’s elections, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with a top Chinese official in Washington on Friday in an effort to dissuade Beijing from taking action against Taipei.

Liu Jianchao, the chairman of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee’s international division, will meet with Blinken, who is momentarily back in Washington between his most recent tour of the Middle East crises and a trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, according to the State Department’s public itinerary.

Taiwan, a self-governing democracy annexed by China, will vote on Saturday. Beijing has labeled the leading candidate, Lai Ching-te, a “severe danger” because of his previous remarks supporting complete independence.

However, Lai has exercised caution while running for office, and US officials have said in private that they do not consider the remarks and actions of the Chinese to be unusual for an election in Taiwan.

Although it only recognizes Beijing, the US arms Taiwan to protect it as China hasn’t ruled out using force to “reunify.”

State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Thursday that the US has “deep confidence in Taiwan’s democratic process and believe it is for Taiwan voters to decide their next leader free from outside interference.”

Following the election, President Joe Biden’s government intends to send a “unofficial” mission to Taiwan; this was disclosed in advance and was regarded as standard procedure.

The US Senate overwhelmingly approved a resolution on Thursday praising Taiwan and praising the “example it has set for self-governance, not just for the Pacific region, but for the world,” demonstrating the strong support for Taiwan in Congress.

Blinken will also have a private meeting at the State Department with Japan’s Foreign Minister, Yoko Kamikawa, a staunch ally of the United States.

The visit by Liu, who is seen as a rising star in the Chinese government, coincides with increased communication between China and the US to reduce tensions that have spiked in recent years.

Presidents Biden and Xi Jinping the two superpowers met in San Francisco in November and decided to restart military talks, which Washington views as essential to averting disasters.

Liu adopted a conciliatory stance and offered no criticism of the United States during her speech on Tuesday at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.

He said Beijing has taken notice of US declarations that it does not support Taiwanese independence, but he would not predict how China will react to Taiwan’s elections.

Liu had a meeting at the White House earlier with the deputy national security adviser, Jon Finer.