China warns US not to expect any compromise on Taiwan

Asia-Pacific, News November 26, 2021 , by IRIA No Comments

China warned the United States “not to have any illusions” and should not expect any “compromise on the Taiwan question” from China’s military, the Chinese Defense Ministry statement read.

Ministry of National Defense spokesman Senior Colonel Wu Qian said at a press conference on November 26, that “We have repeatedly stressed that China has a principle in dealing with relations with the US military. The principle is that our national sovereignty, dignity and core interests can’t be jeopardized, which is especially applicable when it comes to the Taiwan question — there is no room for compromise in our position and the US shall not have any illusion about that.”

While responding to a question about the Chinese military’s expectations on bilateral military ties between the U.S. and China, after the Biden-Xi virtual meeting, China’s Senior Colonel Wu Qian said, “The military ties are important parts of the overall bilateral relations… [and] Maintaining good, stable military-to-military relations is in the interest of both nations and is the shared hope of the international community.”

In a separate event on November 23, the U.S. announced the list of participants the Biden administration has invited to participate in the “Summit for Democracy” to be held next month, which included Taiwan. In response, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its “resolute opposition” to this invitation.

The State Department’s invitation list included 110 participants, excluding Russia and China, for a virtual event that will be held on December 9-10. The summit is designed to help prevent the regression of democracy and the erosion of rights and freedoms worldwide.

China’s Foreign Ministry statement said it was “firmly opposed” to the invitation sent to the democratically governed island of Taiwan.

“U.S. actions only go to show democracy is just a cover and a tool for it to advance its geopolitical objectives, oppress other countries, divide the world and serve its own interests,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters in Beijing.

On November 24, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokeswoman Zhu Fenglian said that the inclusion of Taiwan was a “mistake” and China firmly opposes “any official interaction between the US and China’s Taiwan region”.

China’s “stance is clear and consistent. We urge the US to stick to the ‘one China’ principle and the three joint communiques,” Zhu Fenglian added.

A spokesman for Taiwan’s presidential office Xavier Chang thanked Biden for the summit invitation, and said they would be “a force for good in international society”.

“Taiwan will cooperate firmly with like-minded countries to protect universal values such as freedom, democracy and human rights; and also safeguard regional peace, stability and development,” Chang said.

Since taking office earlier this year, U.S. President Biden has reiterated that the United States supports the “One China” policy and officially recognizes China instead of Taiwan, however, Biden also stated that Washington “strongly opposes unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait”.

During a virtual summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Beijing told Washington to avoid crossing “red lines” and warned that if the U.S. continues to push China, they would have “no alternative but to take drastic measures”.