Editorial: If Speaker Pelosi lacks Freedom to Travel, there is No Freedom of Navigation in SCS. For any nation to tell the United States leadership that it can’t visit a nation or a person, our geopolitical center-of-gravity post-WW II, rooted in American sacrifices and individual heroism of our GIs, has been fully and completely wasted by our own repeat-incompetence and loss of Sacred Honor that collateralized the birth and sustenance of American Exceptionalism. Our refusal to honor the binding – more than NATO’s dues-based Article 5 – 1994 Budapest Memorandum and let Ukraine get grievously molested, from 2014 to 2022, has nearly depleted all of the “Sacred” component of our founding Honor bequeath to us by our Founders. If Speaker Nancy Pelosi doesn’t go to independent democratic Taiwan due to China’s stated opposition, we, dear President Joe Biden, should resign as leader of the democratic world, end “Freedom of Navigation” exercises in the South China Sea, as it would be nothing other than a Kabuki Play and reminiscent of our incompetent Kabul exit in August 2021, and tell Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III to disband our history-rich U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Quad and AUKUS. That said, Speaker Nancy Pelosi ought go to Beijing if President Xi Jinping invites as proof of our One China Policy and America’s strength-based imposition of peace-in-Asia, including, for Taiwan.
Ravi Batra, Co-Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
July 31, 2022
U.S. President Joseph R. Biden Jr. spoke with President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on July 28. The two-hour-and-17-minute phone call was a part of the Biden Administration’s efforts to maintain and deepen lines of communication between the United States and the PRC. The two presidents discussed issues important to the bilateral relationship and other regional and global issues, including climate change, health security and Taiwan. The latest issue is of particular interest for both countries as recently, tensions over Taiwan increased.
The call follows the two leaders’ conversation on March 18 and a series of conversations between high-level U.S. and PRC officials.
Biden noted that the U.S.-China relationship is the most consequential relationship in the world, and the future of the bulk of the world will depend on how the United States and China get on with each other. The two countries have no interest in letting competition veer into conflict.
The U.S. side looks forward to more discussions and cooperation with China to reach more common positions on climate change and other significant issues.
The U.S. has no intention to change the one-China policy. However, President Biden underscored that the United States policy has not changed and that the United States strongly opposes unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
Xi Jinping pointed out that for some time, due to the U.S. policy on China, the China-U.S. relationship has run into serious difficulty.
“This serves neither the fundamental interests of the people of the two countries, nor the common interests of countries around the world. China and the United States are respectively the biggest developing country and the biggest developed country. Whether they can handle their relationship well bears on the future of the world. It is a question of the century to which the two countries must provide a good answer. When China and the United States cooperate, the two countries and the world will benefit; when China and the United States are in confrontation, the two countries and the world will suffer. Getting the relationship right is not optional, but something we must do and must do well,” underlined a press release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC.
Both presidents agreed that in-depth communication between them on China-U.S. relations and major international issues is very important for steering the bilateral ties in the right direction. They agreed to maintain frequent contact by multiple means and instruct officials at the working level to intensify the work, conduct extensive dialogue and create conditions for the further development of China-U.S. relations.
In November, several summits will take place in Asia. According to diplomatic sources U.S. officials are trying to organise a meeting between the two Presidents on the margins of one of these summits.
As tensions on the Taiwan issue rise
However, the discussion about the Taiwan issue proved very delicate. The announcement of a potential visit of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the self-governing island enraged Beijing. U.S. officials fear of severe tensions in the area.
On July 26, Tan Kefei, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of National Defense, said that “the Chinese military will not sit back if U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan,” reported the Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
“Xi offered an ominous warning to Biden, according to China’s version of events,” reports CNN.
As Xinhua reports, “Xi elaborated on China’s principled position on the Taiwan question. He highlighted that the historical context of the Taiwan question is crystal clear, and so are the fact and status quo that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same China.”
“The will of the people cannot be defied,” said Xi, “and those who play with fire will perish by it, he said, adding that it is hoped that the United States will be clear-eyed about this.”
The U.S. follows a “one-China policy” that diplomatically recognizes the PRC. However, as President Biden said United States strongly opposes unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.