China asks US to officially oppose Taiwan independence ahead of Trump-Xi summit: Report

File Photo - China's President Xi Jinping (R) shakes hands with US President Donald Trump before a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka on June 29, 2019. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)

China has asked Washington to make a formal public declaration that it opposes Taiwan independence, the Wall Street Journal reported. According to the newspaper, the demand is “one in a long list of asks from the Chinese side under consideration.” The Trump administration, the report added, has not yet made a decision on the request.

The Journal also noted that the US State Department fact sheet outlining American policy on Taiwan was not available on its website at the time the article was published. This absence coincides with a sensitive period in US-China relations. President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping are preparing to meet at a summit in South Korea, even as Washington has yet to sign a trade agreement with Taiwan despite four rounds of discussions.

A separate report by Bloomberg said the US president “appears to be balancing efforts to maintain cordial ties with Taiwan” while trying not to disrupt dialogue with Beijing. Earlier in July, Washington denied Taiwan President Lai Ching-te permission to transit through New York after China voiced objections to the visit. According to Bloomberg, the hesitation “unnerved some officials” who feared that Trump may “concede too much to Beijing.”

Since President Richard Nixon cut formal ties with Taipei in the 1970s to open relations with Beijing, the United States has followed a “one-China policy” that leaves Taiwan’s sovereignty unresolved. For decades, Washington has relied on “strategic ambiguity” over whether it would intervene militarily if China attacked the island.

Taiwan continues to be one of the most contentious flashpoints in US-China relations, which are already strained by disputes over trade, technology and human rights. The United States remains Taipei’s main source of arms, though President Trump has repeatedly suggested that the island should bear more of the cost for its own defense.

Beijing has increased pressure on Taiwan since the Democratic Progressive Party came to power in 2016. Chinese officials insist the self-ruled democracy is an “inalienable part” of China, a position that has been gaining traction abroad. A study by the Lowy Institute recently found that more developing nations now back Beijing’s stance.