China has urged the United States to “stop exchange or contacts” with Taiwan and stop elevating its relationship with Taiwan in any substantive way after Washington and Taipei announced they would hold economic talks this month.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Webin while addressing a briefing, urged the US to adhere to the one-China principle.
China considers Taiwan as its own territory with no right to form official ties with other countries and has watched with growing alarm as the US stepped up is support for the island.
Taiwan is sending a delegation to the US for the inaugural meeting of the US-Taiwan Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue later this month. The US side will be led by Undersecretary Keith Krach, who visited Taiwan in September.
“China consistently opposes official exchanges between the US and the Taiwan region. We urge the US to adhere to the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, stop all forms of official exchanges and contacts with Taiwan, stop elevating its relationship with Taiwan in any substantive way, prudently and properly handle Taiwan-related issues, and send no misleading signals to the Taiwan separatist forces, so as to avoid serious damage to China-US relations, peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” Wang said.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters on Tuesday that the talks would include ensuring safe and secure supply chains and 5G security.
“The dialogue signifies that our economic relationship with Taiwan, a vibrant democracy and a reliable partner, is strong and growing,” he added.
China regards Taipei as a “breakaway province” and has said that it wouldn’t mind using force to claim it.
China, in recent years, has also increased military drills around Taiwan, with almost 40 Chinese warplanes crossing the median line between the mainland and Taiwan on September 18-19 — one of several sorties the island’s President Tsai Ing-wen called a “threat of force”.