◎ Wang Huisheng
On September 27, the "Nihon Keizai Shimbun" devoted two-thirds of its page to reporting on the Trump-Xi meeting. The main headline was "U.S.-China 'Gorgeous Ceremony' Performance" and the subtitle was "Taiwan, Iran, Economy, Smoldering Fire." These two sentences put together serve as a footnote for this high-profile summit: the scene is extremely gorgeous, but the actual results are quite limited.
Trump personally welcomed Xi Jinping, a state banquet was held at the White House, the two heads of state had tea, and finally they visited the U.S. National Archives together. From red carpets to state banquets, from diplomatic rhetoric to historical tours, we create an atmosphere of reconciliation between the United States and China everywhere. However, the gorgeous ceremony cannot conceal the fundamental differences between the two sides on Taiwan, Iran, AI, and economic and trade issues. Reuters also summarized the summit results as "little sign of progress."
Among them, the most worthy of Taiwan's attention is still the Taiwan Strait.
Xi Jinping asked the United States to "oppose Taiwan independence" in an attempt to make Washington move closer to Beijing from its original "not supporting Taiwan independence". However, after the talks, U.S. Ambassador to China David Pang, who participated in the entire process, made it clear that the U.S. policy toward Taiwan "has not changed" and will not change its wording or position. He reiterated his commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act, the Three Communiqués and the Six Assurances: "We hope for peace across the Taiwan Strait, do not want coercion, and do not support independence."
Trump also told the media on September 27 that he and Xi Jinping did not spend much time discussing the Taiwan issue, and said that Xi Jinping was "very clear" about his views on this issue.
In other words, Beijing spoke very strongly, but Washington did not cross its original policy boundaries. This also shows that although the Sichuan-Xi meeting is gorgeous on the surface, it is too flashy, too lively, and has limited results. The most sensitive fire in the Taiwan Strait is still smoldering.
Another intriguing aspect is history. The U.S.-China joint document mentioned that the two countries were "allies" during World War II. However, when the Anti-Japanese War was victorious in 1945, the People's Republic of China had not yet been established; the government that fought side by side with the United States and represented China at that time was the Republic of China currently in Taiwan. Sanae Takaichi received a call from Trump immediately after the Trump-Xi meeting. During the call, she emphasized to Trump that Japan and the United States "have now become each other's most trustworthy allies" and reaffirmed the close cooperation between Japan and the United States.
The episode of the White House state dinner is even more meaningful. During the banquet, "The Moon Represents My Heart", first recorded by a Taiwanese singer and later made famous by Teresa Teng, was played. The military band also sang "Can You Hear the People Singing" from "Les Misérables", which was the theme song of the Hong Kong protest movement? 》 and "Only Waiting for Tomorrow"; and the representative American semiconductor and AI giants are placed at the main table of the state banquet, sitting on an equal footing with Xi Jinping and his wife, and among them, Huang Renxun and Su Zifeng are both born in Taiwan, which is particularly fascinating. Whether these song selections and arrangements of distinguished guests have political implications can be interpreted by the outside world and should not be overly inferred; but it has indeed aroused discussion.
Finally, Trump accompanied Xi Jinping into the National Archives to view historical documents of the independence and founding of the United States, such as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. This scene may be more symbolic than many diplomatic rhetoric: the United States and China can shake hands, have state dinners, and discuss business, but the huge differences in the systems, values, and strategic interests of the two countries have not disappeared.
Therefore, this Sichuan-Xi'an meeting is not like "the sky has cleared after the rain", but more like the thunder has paused and the fire has not been extinguished. Gorgeous ceremonies can create a friendly atmosphere, but they cannot resolve structural conflicts across the Taiwan Strait, economy, trade, and security overnight. This is probably the most noteworthy message for Taiwan and Japan from this Trump-Xi meeting.
