China has been the center of debate for many years, as the country doesn’t align with America’s interests. Especially due to Taiwan, America has not been in continuous dialogue with the Chinese government for a long time. But recently, Xi Jinping, the President of China, has kicked off a European diplomatic tour. This raises a lot of eyebrows, especially in a time when the relationship between the US and China is not going great. 

Let’s go ahead and know more about the visit!

Taiwan: The Epicenter Of Sour Relations Between Biden And Xi Jinping

Taiwan is a major centre of rivalry between the United States and China. China claims the self-governing island as a breakaway province, and both world powers have been paying more attention to it recently.

• Military Maneuvers: Both the US and China have increased their military presence near Taiwan. In response to the US’s regular freedom of navigation operations (FONOPS) across the Taiwan Strait, China has stepped up its naval and aviation drills near the island. These “tit-for-tat” behaviors have sparked concerns about an unintentional escalation.
• Arms Sales: The US has undertaken many high-profile arms sales to Taiwan in recent years, including modern fighter jets and drones. China is infuriated by this, as they see these sales as going against their “One China” policy.
• Taiwan’s Diplomatic Push: Taiwan has been actively seeking to expand its international presence. It has further irritated China by advocating for inclusion in international organizations and making formal diplomatic connections with an increasing number of nations.

The US Perspective

The US continues to maintain a “strategic ambiguity” policy for Taiwan. This means that it does not explicitly state whether it would come to Taiwan’s defense in the event of a Chinese invasion. But the US has also made it very clear that they are very interested in seeing to it that there is stability and peace in the Taiwan Strait. As part of its strategy to counter China’s increasing influence in the region, the US is seen as strongly committed to Taiwan.

China’s Position

China views Taiwan as its own territory that must eventually be reunified with the mainland, even by force if necessary. China’s leaders have promised to block Taiwan’s attempts to formally declare independence because they are becoming more and more irritated with Taiwan’s attempts to do so.

Xi Jinping’s Europe Visit In 2024

On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping about trade disputes and diplomatic efforts regarding Ukraine. This was during Xi’s official state visit to France, which marked the beginning of his European tour. In Paris, Xi held bilateral discussions with Macron, and they were later joined by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to deal with the other issues in the European Union.

These discussions have a lot of weight internationally, particularly as they occur a month ahead of President Joe Biden’s scheduled state visit to France. 

Internationally, these conversations carry a significant amount of importance, especially now that they happen to be taking place a month before US President Joe Biden visits France. The program highlights how complex and interconnected global diplomacy can be when it comes to major powers discussing economic or political matters. 

What Macron is following through trade and diplomacy seems strategic in view of changing alliances as well as the prevailing challenges in international relations. As China is trying to expand its influence across Europe, these talks are important for shaping future relations and addressing global issues.

To Summarise 

Xi Jinping’s visit to Europe comes at a time when bilateral relations between the biggest nations in the world can be dubbed “critical.”. As China is trying to increase their influence in the Indo-Pacific region, the US is countering them by doing the same with the help of Taiwan. France was the first nation that Xi Jinping visited during the first day of talks.

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