China has lodged a formal protest with the United States following U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s congratulatory message to Lai Ching-te, who recently assumed the role of the Taiwan region’s new leader.
On Tuesday, Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, stated that the U.S. action gravely violates the one-China principle and the three Sino-U.S. joint communiques. He emphasized that this move undermines the political commitment made by the U.S. to maintain only cultural, commercial, and other unofficial relations with the Taiwan region.
“China is strongly dissatisfied and firmly opposed to this and has lodged stern representations to the United States,” Wang told a regular press briefing.
Wang warned that the U.S. should stop official interactions with the Taiwan region and refrain from sending wrong signals to “Taiwan independence” separatist forces to avoid further damaging China-U.S. relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
The one-China principle is a foundational aspect of China’s foreign policy, asserting that there is only one China and that Taiwan is an integral part of it. This principle is recognized by the United States, which formally established diplomatic relations with Beijing in 1979 under the three Sino-U.S. joint communiques.
While the U.S. acknowledges China’s position on Taiwan, it maintains unofficial relations with the Taiwan region through the Taiwan Relations Act, facilitating commercial and cultural ties. The recent remarks by Blinken are seen by China as a deviation from this agreed framework.
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China lodges representations over Blinken's remarks on Taiwan region
cgtn.com
