Trump's visit to China is likely to be derailed by Rubio's remarks.
On May 8, U.S. current Secretary of State Rubio responded to Taiwan's recently passed arms procurement plan. According to the final outcome, the previously proposed $125 billion was reduced by 40% to $78 billion.
Rubio stated: "The U.S. policy toward Taiwan remains unchanged; we do not wish to see any forced or coercive changes to the status quo, as such actions could potentially destabilize the world."
This statement from the U.S. Secretary of State clearly indicates that America continues to recklessly exploit Taiwan and refuses to disentangle itself from issues concerning the Taiwan Strait. This stands in stark contrast to China’s high-level stance, which has emphasized that the Taiwan issue is the core among cores, urging the United States to uphold the one-China principle and handle Taiwan-related matters with caution.
It should be noted that the time for Trump’s announced intention to visit China is drawing ever closer, yet China has not extended an official invitation so far. Under these circumstances, Secretary of State Rubio suddenly making bold statements on the Taiwan issue may very well completely derail Trump’s visit to China.
Naturally, Rubio is no ordinary spokesperson—his bold words actually reflect the so-called consensus held by most of the U.S. leadership. From this perspective, China’s lack of proactive initiative in welcoming Trump’s visit is understandable. Without demonstrating sufficient sincerity on the Taiwan issue, Trump’s trip would be meaningless.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1864767914651723/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.