China slams US, UK over providing Taiwan with weapons

• 

After the UK and US pledged their military support for Taiwan this week, China has come out with a statement of condemnation towards the vows. Beijing stressed that sending weapons to Taiwan supports separatism and contradicts their recognition of China.

Read more: China: Military support for Taiwan will bring "worst consequences"

 

In a tweet on Thursday, Xie Yongjun, head of the information department at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said, “We deplore and reject Secretary Blinken’s statement at a congressional hearing on April 26 that the administration is determined to make sure that Taiwan has all necessary means to defend itself against any potential aggression.” 

Xie's statements echo the words of foreign ministry spokesman, Wang Wenbin.

According to Wenbin, Washington's statements clash with their recognition of Beijing and the One China policy, and encourage Taiwanese separatists by selling weapons to the country. 

The One China policy upholds that there is only one sovereign state that goes under the name, "China," while opposing Taiwan separatism. 

Wang said, “The US admits that Taiwan is part of China, but keeps talking about the mainland’s potential ‘aggression’ of Taiwan. Isn’t this self-contradictory since a country can not ‘invade’ part of its own territory?

“We have this stern warning for the US side: The historical trend of China’s reunification cannot be held back, and the one-China principle is what underpins peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”

Wang warned the US not to "underestimate the strong resolve, determination and capability of the 1.4 billion Chinese people in defending national sovereignty and territorial integrity” or risk bringing “unbearable cost to the US itself.”

On Thursday, Wang addressed British foreign secretary Liz Truss' speech, where she advocated for a "global NATO" to intervene in the Indo-Pacific, as she said, and to provide Taiwan with arms the way the UK (and its allies) are arming Ukraine. 

“NATO claims to be a defensive organization, but in fact it is constantly creating confrontation and disturbances,” Wang told reporters. “NATO demands that other countries abide by the basic norms of international relations, yet has wantonly waged wars and dropped bombs in sovereign states, killing and displacing innocent civilians.”

“The impact of NATO’s eastward expansion on the long-term peace and stability of Europe is worth reflecting upon. NATO has messed up Europe. Is it now trying to mess up the Asia-Pacific and even the world?” Wang added.  

Read more: Turning Quad format into Asian NATO will not come true: Russian FM

 

Earlier this month, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg spoke of deepening cooperation with "Asian allies" as the current crisis in Ukraine has "global implications." According to the secretary-general of the war-force in Europe, because China has made it clear that it will not condemn Russia (or join the sanctions on Russia), to NATO, China poses a "security challenge" and must cooperate with Asian allies to target it. 

Asia-Pacific countries invited to the conference, alongside the European Union, Georgia, Finland and Sweden, included Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea.