WASHINGTON, D.C.—Final Monday, I arrived on the fortress-like Chinese language Embassy complicated in Washington to the blare of protesters’ megaphones, a typical sound exterior the embassy. Working late from a gathering, I handed via a metallic detector, then scurried via the atrium right down to a packed ballroom within the subterranean stage of the embassy. There, Chinese language Ambassador to the US Xie Feng was delivering a speech to mark China’s Nationwide Day earlier than a sea of fits and army uniforms flecked with the occasional festive qipao.
Two days later and a few mile south, I ambled up a driveway—no safety test in sight—to the 18-acre Twin Oaks property, which serves as Taiwan’s de facto embassy in Washington. I handed a rock backyard formed just like the island earlier than arriving to look at Taipei’s consultant in Washington, Alexander Tah-ray Yui, give his personal Nationwide Day speech from the portico of the property’s Nineteenth-century Georgian-style mansion. Rain briefly threatened, however Yui’s gamble panned out—company gathered on the rolling lawns under, and he delivered his remarks underneath the open skies.
Each fall, Washington goes via this ritual—celebrating two Nationwide Days, one for the Folks’s Republic of China (PRC) and the opposite for the Republic of China (Taiwan), whereas sustaining a “One China” coverage and opposing Taiwanese independence. For U.S. diplomats and consultants engaged on cross-strait relations, rigorously executing such psychological gymnastics is a part of the job description, however even for the nimble, the stretch of holidays can set off some cognitive dissonance.
The Twin Oaks reception was held per week earlier than the official vacation in Taiwan—normal observe, though the Taipei Financial and Cultural Consultant Workplace gave no official rationalization for the hole in scheduling when requested about it. Beneath U.S. coverage, Taiwan shouldn’t be allowed to have a proper diplomatic presence in Washington, so each transfer that its unofficial representatives make right here is carefully scrutinized by Beijing, which maintains that Taiwan is a part of its territory.
The Nationwide Day vacation itself has been the topic of debate in Taiwan. Additionally known as Double Ten Day, it honors the 1911 Wuchang Rebellion in China that led to the autumn of the Qing Dynasty and founding of the Republic of China. The Kuomintang (KMT) celebration ruled mainland China intermittently over the next many years till it was pressured to retreat to Taiwan after the Chinese language Civil Battle and the 1949 founding of the Folks’s Republic of China.
However final 12 months, former Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou of the KMT—at the moment the opposition celebration and the one which holds nearer ties to Beijing—criticized the ruling Democratic Progressive Get together (DPP) for utilizing the phrase “Taiwan Nationwide Day” to explain the vacation, arguing that it’s unnecessarily provocative.
This 12 months, the vacation season has been laced with further rigidity. Within the lead-up to Oct. 10, President William Lai of the DPP, who took workplace in Might, made remarks that angered Beijing. Lai identified that the Republic of China was marking its 113th anniversary, whereas the PRC was celebrating its seventy fifth. “Due to this fact, when it comes to age, it’s completely inconceivable for the Folks’s Republic of China to grow to be the ‘motherland’ of the Republic of China’s folks. Quite the opposite, the Republic of China stands out as the motherland of the folks of the Folks’s Republic of China who’re over 75 years previous,” he mentioned on Oct. 5.
And in his speech on the Oct. 10 vacation itself, Lai reiterated an announcement he made throughout his inaugural tackle, which additionally drew outrage from Beijing.
“The Republic of China and the Folks’s Republic of China aren’t subordinate to one another. On this land, democracy and freedom are rising and thriving. The Folks’s Republic of China has no proper to symbolize Taiwan,” he mentioned.
However Lai additionally advised the viewers that Taiwan was keen to work with China on points equivalent to local weather change and sustaining peace, which analysts mentioned signaled his want to not upend relations.
Nonetheless, Taiwan is bracing for potential fallout after the vacation. Taiwanese officers advised Reuters earlier this week that China could reply to Lai’s speech with army workout routines round Taiwan, as occurred after his Might speech.
Again in Washington, the 2 Nationwide Day occasions on the Chinese language Embassy and Twin Oaks mirrored the delicate state of relations between the US, China, and Taiwan.
In his roughly 20-minute speech on the Chinese language Embassy occasion, Xie—the Chinese language ambassador—described the PRC’s 75-year historical past as a triumph of financial improvement earlier than turning his consideration to the U.S.-China relationship. By his account, Washington essentially misunderstands Beijing’s intentions.
“We now have no technique to overtake or exchange the US, no intention to overthrow the prevailing order or dominate, and no real interest in geopolitical rivalry or a Recreation of Thrones,” he mentioned. In contrast to different cases when Chinese language officers have outright rejected the framing of the U.S.-China relationship as a contest, Xie mentioned that whereas some competitors is pure, it shouldn’t dominate the connection.
He additionally made a case for the advantages to the US of integration between the 2 economies—Teslas rolling off the meeting line on the firm’s Shanghai gigafactory and Starbucks opening a brand new retailer in China each 9 hours. And he listed among the areas the place the US and China have been in a position to make some tentative progress collectively over the previous 12 months—local weather change; fentanyl management; scholar exchanges; and critically, the return of the large pandas to U.S. zoos (together with two reportedly coming to D.C. quickly).
However Xie additionally issued a number of warnings. Referring to the reopening of U.S.-China relations underneath former U.S. President Richard Nixon, he mentioned, “At the moment, the connection is once more at a brand new place to begin. Historical past surges onward like a mighty river, however it’s the selections made at vital junctures that form the course.” Taiwan is the “in the beginning purple line” within the U.S.-China relationship, he mentioned, including that “condoning ‘Taiwan independence’ would solely invite catastrophe to oneself.” Lastly, he mentioned {that a} commerce or tech warfare could be a “double-edged sword” that will hurt the US, too.
Following Xie on the stage was Daniel Kritenbrink, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs. He first congratulated China on its anniversary earlier than joking that he was within the “unenviable place” of getting 60 seconds to reply to a 20-minute, policy-heavy speech delivered by his “pricey buddy” Xie.
“I feel maybe this isn’t the suitable event for me to have interaction in a rebuttal of among the factors that Ambassador Xie made,” he mentioned, leaving a palpable rigidity within the stuffy ballroom air. He went on to recite the Biden administration China coverage mantra—“make investments, align, compete”—and, when potential, cooperate.
However China had the final phrase, or moderately, a Chinese language opera singer did. He had his personal unenviable process: delivering the well-known closing aria from Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot towards the backdrop of lots of of individuals chattering about Xie and Kritenbrink’s remarks. He could not have been Pavarotti, however he nobly persevered, crescendoing to the booming last line “Vincero, vincero!”—Italian for “I will probably be victorious.”
Two days later at Twin Oaks, Yui used his speech to thank the US for its assist of Taiwan, militarily and in any other case, and underline the bipartisan nature of that assist.
“It’s rock stable, however I feel with plenty of room to develop nonetheless,” he mentioned of the partnership. U.S. congressional assist for Taiwan “exhibits the aggressor we aren’t alone,” he added. Yui had cause to be happy; the US not too long ago authorized its largest-ever army support package deal to Taiwan—$567 million in weapons to be delivered from U.S. stockpiles.
Yui additionally echoed language that Lai utilized in his Might inauguration tackle, saying, “We aren’t subordinate to the authoritarian communist Chinese language regime as they declare it to be.”
As is conventional, an official from the American Institute of Taiwan (AIT), the US’ de facto embassy in Taipei, adopted Yui. Ingrid Larson, the managing director of AIT, stored her speech brief—now not than Kritenbrink’s—and lightweight, remarking on the long-standing U.S. assist for Taiwan and their shared values. It was a script designed to not check any purple strains.
At each occasions, the geopolitical dance was adopted by a hearty serving to of regional delicacies. On the Chinese language Embassy, that included D.C. restaurateur and former Chinese language Embassy chef Peter Chang’s well-known Peking duck, which your vegetarian correspondent politely declined, to the dismay of her Chinese language hosts.
Fried rice and mushrooms have been a wonderfully positive pairing, although, to look at the zoo of U.S.-China relations. The Nationwide Day occasion serves as one of many uncommon moments as of late the place the various U.S. authorities departments that take care of China—from the Nationwide Safety Council to the Departments of Protection, Commerce, Power, and so forth—all work together with their Chinese language counterparts.
I wouldn’t go so far as to explain the sensation as hopeful, however there was one thing reassuring about the truth that regardless of all of the tensions within the relationship, each international locations’ officers can nonetheless collect underneath one roof and tuck into some well-glazed duck collectively.
On the Taiwanese occasion, each edible and drinkable merchandise was designed to remind attendees of Taiwan’s distinctive identification—and its world assist. One may pattern steaming noodles from Tainan, pork-filled buns and mahi-mahi from Taiwan, copious rolls from sushi boats—a nod to Taiwan’s Japanese colonial interval—and, considerably puzzlingly, even American Thanksgiving-style fare from a buffet that includes casseroles and inexperienced beans.
To showcase its remaining 12 official allies, the occasion additionally featured Paraguayan dancers in flouncy yellow attire, sizzling sauce from Belize, espresso from Guatemala, and beer from the Czech Republic. (Whereas not an official Taiwanese ally, Prague has proven robust assist for Taiwan lately).
Even the ice cubes within the drinks despatched a message—a small Taiwanese flag was embedded in every dice. As I chatted with Taiwanese contacts, I quietly apprehensive in regards to the implications of my cocktail melting within the warmth.
Whereas fewer excessive stage U.S. officers have been in attendance at Twin Oaks, the hosts made up for it with massive TV screens positioned round the principle tent, like billboards for Taiwan’s U.S. assist. Every display screen shuffled via letters from members of Congress congratulating Taiwan on its Nationwide Day. A video message from Rep. John Moolenaar—the chairman of the Home choose committee on the Chinese language Communist Get together—additionally performed on loop all through the occasion.
As I wandered again down the driveway on the finish of the night, I questioned what the 2 Nationwide Day celebrations would possibly appear to be subsequent 12 months. If former U.S. President Donald Trump wins the upcoming presidential election, he has threatened to launch a brand new commerce warfare towards China and shake up U.S.-Taiwan relations. However even underneath an administration headed by present Vice President Kamala Harris, relations are more likely to stay fragile as the US continues to ratchet up its tech restrictions towards China and China continues its gray-zone and army actions within the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.
Earlier than leaving Twin Oaks for the evening, I took a last sip of my Taiwanese whiskey pattern to savor the second of relative calm.
