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China warns US not to ‘play with fire’ over Chinese Taipei

Tuesday, 13 April 2021 3:53 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 13 April 2021 4:52 PM ]

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian

China has warned the United States not to play with fire over Chinese Taipei, as Washington moves to establish more diplomatic contact with officials in the self-ruled island in violation of Chinese sovereignty.

The Chinese warning came on Tueday, after the US issued guidelines enabling easier contact between US officials and those from the self-ruled island.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Tuesday warned the US “not to play with fire on the Taiwan issue, immediately stop any form of US-Taiwan official contacts, cautiously and appropriately handle the matter, and not send wrong signals to Taiwan independence forces so as not to subversively influence and damage Sino-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait”, the spokesman said.

Zhao told reporters during a press briefing that Beijing had filed “stern representations” with US President Joe Biden’s administration over the issue.

China has sovereignty over the self-ruled Chinese Taipei. Under the “One China” policy, almost all world countries recognize that sovereignty.

The US, too, recognizes Chinese sovereignty over Chinese Taipei, but in an attempted affront to China and in violation of its own official policy, America constantly bypasses Beijing to sell weapons to the island and stage the shows of military force.

In January, days before the end of Donald Trump’s presidency, the then-US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that he was lifting restrictions on contacts between US officials and their Taiwanese counterparts.

The Biden administration has taken a similarly hawkish stance toward Beijing.

The United States’ relations with China have grown increasingly tense over the past few years. Washington has also clashed with Beijing over trade, Hong Kong, the South China Sea, and the coronavirus pandemic.

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