China urges US to oppose 'independence forces' to ensure peace in Taiwan Strait

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – Calling on the US to “honor” its commitments on the one-China policy, Beijing on Tuesday urged Washington to oppose “Taiwan independence forces” to ensure peace in the Taiwan Strait.

“To truly safeguard peace across the Taiwan Strait, there needs to be unequivocal opposition to all ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist acts and such acts must be stopped,” said Wang Wenbin, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

He added that “peaceful reunification” of the self-ruled island with the mainland “is a matter for the Chinese, a matter that must be resolved by the Chinese.”

Beijing's reiteration came a day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said China's approach to Taiwan has changed in recent years, warning that Beijing is “determined to pursue reunification on a much faster timeline.”

“And if peaceful means didn’t work, then it would employ coercive means – and possibly, if coercive means don’t work, maybe forceful means – to achieve its objectives. And that is what is profoundly disrupting the status quo and creating tremendous tensions,” Blinken said on Monday during a conversation with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in California.

Wang, however, insisted that national reunification of Taiwan, home to around 24 million people, “by peaceful means is the first choice of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government in resolving the Taiwan question, as it best serves the interests of the Chinese nation as a whole, including our Taiwan compatriots, and it works best for the long-term stability and development of China.”

“We are ready to create vast space for, but we will leave no room for separatist activities in any form. Division of the country for ‘Taiwan independence’ and a peaceful solution are incompatible with each other,” he said.

However, he urged the US to “honor its commitments, return to the original meaning of ‘one-China’ and reflect its statements of not supporting ‘Taiwan independence’ in concrete actions.”

“The more rampant ‘Taiwan independence’ forces are, the less likely it is for a peaceful solution to the Taiwan question.

“There needs to be unequivocal opposition to all ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist acts and such acts must be stopped,” the spokesman stressed.

In reference to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's unannounced visit to Taiwan in early August, Wang stated that Washington had pledged to maintain only non-official ties with Taiwan, "but in recent years it has substantially relaxed restrictions on official interactions with the region."

Pelosi's trip was the first time in 25 years that a sitting US Congress speaker paid an official visit to Taiwan, triggering unprecedented Beijing’s military activity around the island by holding military exercises for over a week.

He said since the two countries established diplomatic ties, “US arms sales to Taiwan have been increasing in both quantitative and qualitative terms, exceeding $70 billion to date.”​​​​​​​