Xi Jinping stunned the world over the weekend. The Chinese leader鈥檚 Oct. 9 speech left no doubt about his commitment to the ultimate incorporation of Taiwan into the People鈥檚 Republic of China. But it was what President Xi didn鈥檛 say, and the context in which he didn鈥檛 say it, that mattered most.
Tension over Taiwan has been mounting for months. In a major speech commemorating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party, delivered in Tiananmen Square in July, Mr. Xi promised to 鈥渦tterly defeat鈥� any attempt toward Taiwanese independence. In a letter congratulating Eric Chu on his election as leader of Taiwan鈥檚 main opposition party, Mr. Xi called the situation on the island 鈥渃omplex and grim.鈥� Over the weekend of China鈥檚 Oct. 1 National Day, a record 149 Beijing military aircraft crossed into the island鈥檚 air-defense identification zone.
The reasons for Beijing鈥檚 ire aren鈥檛 hard to find. Weeks after Australia helped form the Aukus partnership, former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott paid a visit to Taiwan. A French senator visiting the island called Taiwan a country. Japan鈥檚 incoming prime minister announced that longtime pro-Taiwan politician Nobuo Kishi will keep the defense portfolio in the new government. This month, a large Taiwanese delegation is scheduled to visit Eastern and Central Europe, where Lithuania has drawn Beijing鈥檚 ire by allowing Taiwan to open a diplomatic office. A recent six-nation joint naval exercise in the Philippine Sea was intended to signal growing allied resolve.
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