Two Words From Taiwan’s Leader Threaten to Upend U.S.-China Ties
- China accuses Tsai Ing-wen of reviving ‘two-state theory’
- Xi may face pressure, if he can’t get U.S. to rein in Taipei
This article is for subscribers only.
Saying that China and Taiwan are “not subordinate” to each other might seem obvious, since they’ve been locked in an unresolved civil war for decades. But Taiwan’s use of those words earlier this month continues to reverberate, risking a fresh rupture in U.S.-China ties.
President Tsai Ing-wen said the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China, as Taiwan and the mainland are officially called, are “not subordinate to each other” in a televised speech marking the island’s National Day on Oct. 10. Tsai’s camp argues she was reiterating the status quo, reflecting the fact that the Communist Party has never ruled Taipei.