China calls on US to halt official contact with Taiwan
The Chinese foreign ministry underlines that it will not stand for the ties the US has with Taiwan, calling on them to sever their official ties with them, as well as economic negotiations.
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US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen
China is calling on the United States to sever any official contacts it has with Taiwan, including negotiations on official trade and economic agreements, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Thursday.
Wang underlined his country's readiness to take decisive measures in order to protect its sovereignty in light of rising tensions between Beijing on the one hand and Taipei and Washington on the other.
On Wednesday, the office of the US Trade Representative announced that the US and Taiwan agreed to begin trade negotiations in the fall as part of the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade first presented in early June.
According to US Deputy Trade Representative Sarah Bianchi, these talks will deepen the "trade and investment relationship, advance mutual trade priorities based on shared values, and promote innovation and inclusive economic growth" between the two parties.
"China always opposes other countries negotiating and signing any trade and economic agreements of a sovereign and official nature with Taiwan," Wang stressed.
"We demand that the US strictly comply with the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiques, stop any form of official contacts with Taiwan and refrain from negotiating and signing official agreements with Taipei," the diplomat said.
According to Wang, there is only one China in the world, of which Taiwan is an integral part, and Taipei's observance of the one-China principle is a precondition for its participation in any foreign economic cooperation.
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The US should not send erroneous signals to Taiwan's separatist forces under the pretext of developing trade, he stressed.
The situation around Taiwan escalated following Pelosi's recent visit to Taipei. China considers Taiwan part of its territory and opposes any direct official foreign contacts with the island.
Pelosi's visit led China to announce ending cooperation with the United States on a number of issues such as climate change, anti-drug efforts, and military talks.
The Chinese foreign ministry had announced that Beijing will impose sanctions on Pelosi and her close relatives in response to her provocative visit to Taiwan. China also imposed restrictions on the purchase of fruit and seafood from Taiwan, as well as stopping sand supplies to the island.
The Taiwanese and Chinese militaries, in the wake of the visit and soaring tensions, held military drills on a large scale. Taipei's military held on Thursday a round of live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait after China's People Liberation Army concluded its own in the South China Sea.
