Top Republicans alarmed by 'extremely unnerving' report Xi warned Biden that China WILL reunite with Taiwan in blunt message during crunch talks in San Francisco
Top lawmakers are expressing concern that the US is projecting “weakness” after a new report found that Chinese President Xi Jinping told President Biden he plans to take over Taiwan soon.
Xi told Biden at last month's APEC summit in San Francisco, California that China would “reunify” with Taiwan, but the timing was still undetermined, according to NBC News.
The Chinese president added that his preference is for a takeover of Taiwan “peacefully” and not by force, according to three US officials.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who is the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, called the report “extremely unnerving.”
“For communist China, if you think you can pave your way to destroy the world order without consequences, you will make Putin's decision to invade Ukraine look sensible,” he said in a statement to DailyMail.com.
Joe Biden and Jinping met Wednesday for the first time in more than a year for high-stakes talks to try to bury the hatchet amid dangerously escalating tensions between Washington and Beijing
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who serves as the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, called the report “extremely unnerving.”
Top Republicans pledged to work with their Democratic colleagues to first push through a “robust” defense aid package to Taiwan and also draft “pre-invasion” sanctions against China.
He said imposing “sanctions from hell” on China will stop it from conquering Taiwan.
The South Carolina senator added that “China apparently sees weakness” when it comes to the Biden-led United States.
Another top Republican, Rep. Mike Waltz, echoed concerns that the Biden administration is projecting weakness.
“The Chinese dictator came to American soil and told Biden to his face that he was taking Taiwan,” Waltz, R-Fla., wrote on X.
“The world will not survive another five years of this WEAKNESS in the White House!” he continued.
Joe Biden and Xi Jinping met in mid-November for the first time in more than a year for high-stakes talks to try to bury the hatchet amid dangerously escalating tensions between Washington and Beijing.
The two leaders met for four hours at a historic home outside San Francisco.
Their meeting began with a warm, double-folded handshake and a declaration from Xi that the world is “big enough” for both countries, despite years of increasing rhetoric and provocations.
“The China-US relationship has never been smooth sailing and always faces all kinds of problems,” Xi said through a translator when he met Biden.
“I have always found our discussions simple and frank and have always appreciated them,” Biden told Xi, after years of telling the American public that he has spent more time with the Chinese autocrat than any other American leader.
Rep. Mike Waltz says he 'doesn't believe' the administration's strategy for dealing with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
Beijing's war games were launched amid Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's delicate mission to shore up her country's dwindling diplomatic alliances in Central America and boost U.S. support
The White House downplayed the report when asked about it during a call with reporters on Wednesday.
“I'm not going to go into the details of the discussion between the two leaders,” replied John Kirby, the National Security Council's strategic communications coordinator. I think you understand that I'm not going to read that private conversation.
He went on to say that Xi “has been public and clear about his desires for reunification. That's not… that's not something different or new.”
Kirby added that Biden was “clear” to Xi that the US still adheres to the One China policy and does not support Taiwan's independence.
The Jimmy Carter-era One China policy, which is still in effect, recognizes that there is only one Chinese government and that Taiwan is not an independent or sovereign state.
However, Congress also passed the Taiwan Relations Act. The legislation guaranteed that the US would protect the island and help defend itself – which is why the US is selling its weapons.
'We are also not in favor of a unilateral change of the status quo and certainly not of violence. And as the president has said, there's no reason for this to fall apart,” Kirby concluded.