• 

A US official told reporters that Taiwan was the focus of the 90-minute "direct and honest" talks on Friday between the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, and the Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

"For our part, the secretary made crystal clear that – in accordance with our long-standing one-China policy, which again has not changed – the maintenance of peace and stability across the Strait is absolutely, vitally important," the senior US administration official indicated.

In a statement on the meeting, the Chinese Foreign Ministry pointed out that the US was sending "very wrong, dangerous signals" on Taiwan.

"The Taiwan issue is an internal Chinese matter, and the United States has no right to interfere in what method will be used to resolve it," the Chinese Ministry cited Wang as saying.

Earlier, the US State Department said that Blinken’s meeting with Wang was part of a US effort to "maintain open lines of communication and manage competition responsibly." In addition, the senior official said that Blinken expressed the US openness to "cooperating with China on matters of global concern."

The official added that Blinken "highlighted the implications" if China were to provide material support to Russia or engage in wholesale sanctions evasion, adding that the US Secretary "underscored that the United States and China and the international community have an obligation to work to counter the effects of that invasion and also to deter Russia from taking further provocative actions."

Responding to Blinken and Wang's meeting, Taiwan's Foreign Ministry considered that China’s "recent provocative actions" had made the Taiwan Strait a focus of discussion, claiming that China was trying to "confuse the international audience with arguments and criticisms that contradict reality."

The situation around Taiwan escalated following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's 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.

It is noteworthy that the meeting between the two top diplomats was preceded by another meeting between the foreign ministers of the Quad grouping of Australia, India, Japan, and the US, which issued a statement, referring to the Indo-Pacific, saying that "we strongly oppose any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo or increase tensions in the region."

The senior US official claimed that since Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, "China has taken a number of provocative steps that have by design acted to change the status quo."

Another US official confirmed that the US Vice President, Kamala Harris, will discuss the Taiwan file during bilateral meetings with Japanese and South Korean leaders when she visits them next week.

On his part, Daniel Russel, the top US diplomat for Asia under President Barack Obama, considered that the meeting between Blinken and Wang was important after the tensions created following Pelosi's controversial visit to Taiwan.

Russel hoped that some progress would have been made toward arranging a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Biden on the sidelines of a G20 meeting in November.

It is noteworthy that Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday that Xi urged for the better use of successful experience in the reform of national defense and the armed forces and striving for new horizons for strengthening the armed forces through reform.

Recent updates reveal that in the last two days, western military activities have been ongoing despite China's warnings of retaliating against further provoking actions.

The US 7th Fleet issued Tuesday a statement saying that two military warships, a USS Higgins and a Canadian HMSC Vancouver, transited in the "international waters" of the Taiwan Strait.

The term "international waters" has been used by the US and its allies several times to continue their provocations against China.

On Monday, Biden said that US soldiers would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese "invasion".

In response, the Chinese Embassy in Washington expressed China's "strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the remarks by the US side. The US president has made such remarks several times and every time the administration would clarify that there is no change in its policy on Taiwan." 

This comes after the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee pushed forward last week the Taiwan Policy Act of 2022, which will provide Taiwan with $4.5 billion in security aid and a $2 billion loan guarantee for the purchase of military equipment. 

The bill will provide Taiwan with aid over four years, in addition to designating the island as a "Major Non-NATO Ally."

In addition, the legislation will also direct the US government to engage with the Taiwanese government as a legitimate representative of the population on the island, prohibiting restrictions and limits regarding engagements between US officials and their Taiwanese counterparts.

Read more: China comments on US banks threat to withdraw in case of Taiwan attack