US plan to brief Taiwan ‘egregious’

Zhao Lijian, spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, attends a regular press conference in Beijing, China on Nov 9, 2022. (PHOTO / FOREIGN MINISTRY, CHINA)

BEIJING – China on Friday urged the United States to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, stop official exchanges and military ties with Taiwan, stop arms sales to Taiwan, and take concrete actions to fulfill its commitment to not supporting "Taiwan independence".

Foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the call at a regular press briefing when asked to comment on the reports that US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that Washington would brief Taiwan on the results of a meeting next week between the two heads of state of the US and China.

There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, said Zhao. The current tension across the Taiwan Straits is rooted in the Taiwan authorities' repeated attempts to seek independence by relying on US support, he added. 

READ MORE: Bull-headed US, always a crisis in the making

Some people in the US intend to "use Taiwan to contain China" and such actions undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, he said.

Official US-Taiwan exchanges violate US commitments to maintaining only unofficial relations with Taiwan, Zhao said, adding that the so-called US brief to Taiwan on the meeting between the two presidents is a severe violation of the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques. "China is firmly opposed to this."

The so-called "Taiwan Relations Act" unilaterally concocted by the US runs counter to the principles of the three China-US joint communiques and basic norms governing international relations. China has been opposed to it from the very beginning, he said.

Some people in the US intend to "use Taiwan to contain China" and such actions undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, said Zhao 

The US has no right to place its domestic law above international law, still less to interfere in China's internal affairs. On the Taiwan question, Washington should abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques rather than the so-called "Taiwan Relations Act", he added.

China urges the US to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, stop official exchanges and military ties with Taiwan, stop arms sales to Taiwan, take concrete actions to fulfill its commitment to not supporting "Taiwan independence," and not lead China-US relations to a dangerous situation, Zhao said.

DPP rebuked

The same day, Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, rebuked Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities for their trading of the public interests of Taiwan people for external support.

Ma made the remarks in response to an inquiry regarding the DPP authorities' recent promotion of the outcome of a meeting on the so-called "US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade".

For their own political interests in pursuit of "Taiwan independence," the DPP authorities have intensified their economic and trade contact with the US, he said.

He urged the US side to abide by the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiques through concrete actions, and to handle Taiwan-related issues in a proper manner.

Ma made the remarks in response to an inquiry regarding the DPP authorities' recent promotion of the outcome of a meeting on the so-called "US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade".

For their own political interests in pursuit of "Taiwan independence", the DPP authorities have intensified their economic and trade contact with the United States, he said.

ALSO READ: New US-Taiwan 'trade initiative' set to hamper relations

He urged the US side to abide by the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiques through concrete actions, and to handle Taiwan-related issues in a proper manner.