Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday that the new US-proposed legislation on Taiwan jeopardizes the “foundation” of relations between Beijing and Washington.
“The ‘One China’ principle forms the political foundation of China-U.S. relations,” Wang said in a speech at the headquarters of the non-governmental organization Asia Society in New York, according to a transcript released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Exteriors. .
“The Taiwan issue is becoming the biggest risk for China-US relations. If mishandled, it is likely to ruin bilateral relations,” he stressed.
Wang added that the Taiwan Policy Act bill, which envisions an expansion of US military support to Taiwan by US$6.5 billion over the next five years, “threatens the foundation of China-US relations.” .
Relations between Beijing and Washington are going through the worst moment in decades. In early August, the visit to Taiwan of the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, generated strong protests from the Chinese government, which considered the trip a provocation.
China then launched military exercises around the island on an unprecedented scale.
Members of the US Congress and Senate continued to visit Taiwan in the following weeks, with the aim of strengthening ties with Taipei authorities.
The Taiwan Policy Law also includes a proposal for the first major restructuring of Washington’s approach to the island since it severed ties with Taipei and recognized Beijing as the sole legitimate government in all of China in 1979.
The bill states that “Taiwan shall be treated as a major ally…as defined in section 644(q) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, for the purpose of transferring or possibly transferring Defense articles or services from Defense Under Arms Export Control Act”.
Experts believe that the passage of the law by the US Congress would jeopardize the “One China” policy.
Wang also criticized Taiwan’s requests to participate as a member of the United Nations.
“As the PRC government is recognized as the only legal government representing all of China, Taiwan should not be allowed to join any international organization with sovereign implications,” he said.
“If one recognizes the ‘One China’ principle, one should not engage in official exchanges with Taiwan. The logic here could not be simpler,” the Chinese minister added.
Wang Yi also blamed the Taiwan Democratic Progressive Party for the worsening relationship between Beijing and Taipei, repeatedly stressing that Taiwan is not a country and is part of China.
“The United States must choose to be on the right side of history,” he stressed.
China and Taiwan have lived as two autonomous territories since 1949, when the former Chinese nationalist government took refuge on the island after defeat in the civil war against the communists. Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory and threatens reunification by force if the island formally declares its independence.
Wang stressed that Beijing does not want conflict and opposes the idea that the United States and China compete.
“Our most basic expectation for China-US relations is that the two countries live together in peace,” he argued. “As China develops, some people start to project China as a hypothetical enemy…This is a sign of excessive anxiety and is completely unnecessary,” she argued.
The foreign minister also criticized the US for encouraging its allies to form “small circles” that “exclude” China, such as the semiconductor industry alliance with South Korea, Japan and Taiwan, known as “Chip 4”. .
“An infallible truth in China-US interactions is that the two countries win by cooperation and lose by confrontation,” he said.
Source: TSF
