April 10, 2021

The US Department of State announced on Saturday (Beijing time) that it has issued new guidelines for US government interaction with counterparts on the island of Taiwan to encourage US government engagement with the island that reflects their "deepening unofficial relationship."

Observers from both the mainland and Taiwan said on Saturday that although the Biden administration will continue playing the "Taiwan card" to pressure China, an apparent "ceiling" exists no matter how big the "breakthrough" the White House seems to have made is. Observers believe the new guidelines are a move from Washington to test how the Chinese mainland will react, but there will not be a qualitative change to the relations between the US and the island of Taiwan.

A US State Department spokesman said the new guidelines meant, for example, that working-level meetings with officials from the island were now encouraged in US federal buildings and could also take place at Taiwan's representative offices, according to a Reuters report on Saturday.

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https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202104/1220693.shtml