China Says U.S. Sending 'Very Wrong, Dangerous Signals' on Taiwan

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The United States is sending "very wrong, dangerous signals" on Taiwan, and the more rampant Taiwan independence activities are the less likely a peaceful settlement will be, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The United States is attempting to undermine China's sovereignty and territorial integrity over Taiwan, Wang told Blinken on Friday in New York, according to a read out from his ministry on Saturday.

China has accused the United States of sending "a very wrong and dangerous signal" on Taiwan. This came after the US secretary of state told his Chinese counterpart on Friday that maintaining peace and stability in Taiwan was very important.

Taiwan was the focus of 90-minute, "direct and honest" talks between Foreign Minister Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, a US official told reporters.

“Minister Blinken made it clear in accordance with our old, one-China policy, which is once again unchanged. He stressed the maintenance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is very, very important," the senior US administration official said.

China's foreign ministry, in a statement at the meeting, said the United States was sending "a very wrong and dangerous signal" to Taiwan. Beijing points to the rampant Taiwan independence activity, the less likely there will be a peaceful settlement.

"The Taiwan issue is China's internal problem, and the United States has no right to interfere in what methods will be used to solve it," the ministry quoted Wang as saying.

Tensions over Taiwan have risen following a visit by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi there in August - which was followed by large-scale Chinese military exercises.

Tensions have been running high after US President Joe Biden vowed to defend Taiwan from a Chinese invasion. Biden's remarks are his most explicit about deploying US troops to defend the island.

While the White House insists its policy on Taiwan has not changed, China says Biden's remarks send the wrong signal to those seeking Taiwan independence. In a phone call with Biden in July, Chinese leader Xi Jinping warned about Taiwan, saying "those who play with fire will perish by it."

Daniel Russell, the top US diplomat for Asia under President Barack Obama, said the fact that Blinken and Wang met was important after the turbulence brought on by Pelosi's visit. He hopes some progress will be made to arrange a meeting between Xi and Biden on the sidelines of November's G-20 meeting in Bali, which will be their first meeting as leaders.

"Wang and Blinken's decision to meet in New York does not guarantee the November G20 summit will go smoothly or will even happen. But if they can't meet, it means the prospects for a November summit are bad," Russell said.

China sees Taiwan as one of its provinces and has long vowed to bring the island under its control and has not ruled out using force to do so. Taiwan's government strongly opposes China's claim to sovereignty and says only the island's 23 million residents can decide its future.

Taiwan's foreign ministry, responding to a meeting between Blinken and Wang, said China's "recent provocative actions" had made the Taiwan Strait the focus of discussion. Taipei accused China of trying to "confuse an international audience with arguments and criticisms that contradict reality."

REUTERS

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