WASHINGTON (AFP) – The top diplomats from China and the United States have exchanged stern warnings over the flashpoint issue of Taiwan, ahead of Monday’s hotly awaited summit between their leaders.
The virtual meeting of presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping comes against a backdrop of rising tensions -- in part over Taiwan, claimed by Beijing, but also over trade, human rights and other issues.
In a phone call Friday with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to discuss preparations for the summit, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken raised concerns over Beijing’s “military, diplomatic, and economic pressure” on Taiwan.
Wang warned of the dangers of U.S. actions that might seem supportive of “Taiwan independence.”
Washington switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, but an act of Congress passed that year allowed the United States to provide weapons to Taiwan.
“Any connivance of and support for the ‘Taiwan independence’ forces undermines peace across the Taiwan Strait and would only boomerang in the end,” Wang told Blinken, according to a readout of the call released by China on Saturday.
American officials have called Monday’s summit an opportunity to “responsibly manage competition” while trying to cooperate in areas where the two countries align.
Biden and Xi have talked by phone twice since the U.S. Democrat moved into the White House.
The Chinese leader warned last week against the return of Cold War-era tensions in Asia-Pacific, apparently referring to U.S. interference and provocative moves in the region.
On Tuesday, China conducted a “combat readiness patrol” near the Taiwan Strait following a visit to Taipei by members of the U.S. Congress, which sparked immediate condemnation from Beijing.
China said the drills were aimed at the “seriously wrong” words and actions of “relevant countries” on the Taipei issue and the activities of the so-called “independence” forces on the self-ruled island.
Blinken said on Wednesday that Washington would ensure Taipei can defend itself to avoid anyone “trying to disrupt the status quo by force.”
China has sovereignty over Chinese Taipei, and under the “One China” policy, almost all world countries recognize that sovereignty. The U.S., too, recognizes Chinese sovereignty over the island but has long courted Taipei in defiance of Beijing.
The United States, which backs Taipei’s secessionist president, also continues to sell weapons to the island in violation of its own stated policy.
The U.S.-China relations have grown increasingly tense in recent years, with the world’s two largest economies clashing over a range of issues, including trade, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, military activities in the South China Sea, and the origins of the coronavirus.