US warned against 'containing China' as warships continue 'inspection' in Taiwan Strait

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - Accusing the US of “crossing the line” over one-China principle, Beijing Thursday warned Washington against “containing” China by “exploiting the Taiwan question.”

“The United States has been crossing the line and acting provocatively on issues such as US-Taiwan official exchanges, arms sales to and military dealings with Taiwan and creating chances for Taiwan to expand its so-called ‘international space,’ and kept fudging and hollowing out the one-China principle,” said the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Beijing’s angry response came after US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy met Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday in the state of California amid threats from China.

McCarthy tweeted a picture from the meeting and said: “The friendship between America and the people of Taiwan has never been stronger.”

“Despite serious representations and repeated warnings,” said China, “the United States deliberately greenlighted the transit of Tsai Ing-wen, the leader of the Taiwan region, through the United States.”

Tsai, 66, is on a 10-day trip to Central America since last week.

She made her first stopover in New York before flying to Guatemala and Belize in Central America, two of only 13 countries with formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

On her return, she met McCarthy in California.

Ahead of her meeting with the US House speaker, China on Wednesday began what it called a “special inspection operation” in the Taiwan Strait which will feature a joint patrol by Chinese armed forces.

The special inspection operation, being livestreamed by Chinese media, led by Haixun 06 -- China's the largest maritime patrol ship -- are sailing “in the central and northern parts of the Taiwan Straits” on Thursday.

China’s Fujian Maritime Safety Administration had said its inspectors "will conduct on-site checks" on ships including those for cargo, ferrying passengers, and fishing, as well as key construction sites to "make sure the ships sail safely and construction projects operate smoothly."

According to reports from Taiwan, home to around 24 million people, the authorities on the island nation have asked locally-flagged vessels “to not cooperate with Chinese maritime police attempting to make on-board inspections of commercial ships.”

Taiwan’s Maritime and Port Bureau said late Wednesday it “asked crews to reject any attempts at boarding and contact the Coast Guard Administration for protection,” Focus Taiwan news website reported.

The unannounced trip to Taiwan by McCarthy’s predecessor Nancy Pelosi last August had triggered an unprecedented military operation by China around the island nation, home to around 24 million people.

- Beijing takes a jibe at Taiwan president

Stressing that the US House Speaker is “number three in the US government,” who “had a high-profile meeting with Tsai,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said: “This is essentially the United States acting with Taiwan to connive at ‘Taiwan independence’ separatists’ political activities in the United States, conduct official contact with Taiwan and upgrade the substantive relations with Taiwan, and frame it as a ‘transit’.”

“This is a serious violation of the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiques,” the statement added.

“It seriously infringes upon China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and sends an egregiously wrong signal to the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces,” Beijing said, “firmly” opposing and condemning the move.

The one-China principle, recalled Beijing, “is prerequisite and basis for the establishment and development of China-US diplomatic relations.”

“In the three China-US joint communiques, the United States made a clear commitment of maintaining only unofficial relations with Taiwan,” it added.

However, it regretted that the US over the years “has obdurately attempted to contain China by exploiting the Taiwan question and betrayed its commitments.”

Beijing also took a jibe at Tsai, the president of Taiwan, which China considers as its “breakaway province.”

“Since taking office, Tsai has refused to recognize the 1992 Consensus which embodies the one-China principle.

“Instead of reining in separatist rhetoric and activities in Taiwan for ‘Taiwan independence,’ Tsai has supported and encouraged them, and sought to push for ‘incremental independence’ under various pretenses,” the statement said.

“This has put cross-Strait relations in serious difficulty,” said Beijing.

“The Taiwan question is at the core of China’s core interests and the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations. ‘Taiwan independence’ and cross-Strait peace and stability are as irreconcilable as fire and water,” it said, adding: “the pursuit of ‘Taiwan independence’ will lead nowhere.”

Calling Washington’s move as “egregiously wrong action,” Beijing said it “will take strong and resolute measures to defend our sovereignty and territorial integrity.”