US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo mentioned Saturday Washington would lift “complex internal restrictions” on contacts with Taipei by diplomats, immediately after a year of mounting US-Chinese friction on subjects which includes human rights, trade and the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Beijing says Taiwan is an inviolable element of China to be reclaimed, by force if important, and opposes any diplomatic recognition of the democratic island.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian mentioned Beijing “strongly condemns” the move and accused the United States of violating the terms of Washington’s diplomatic relations with Beijing.
“Any action that harms China’s core interests will receive a resolute counterstrike from China,” Zhao warned, urging Pompeo to retract the choice or face “severe punishment”.
It was not clear what the alter implies in practice, with Pompeo saying executive branch communications with Taiwan will be handled by the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), which is owned by the US government and serves as the de facto embassy.
The AIT was founded in 1979, when the United States extended diplomatic recognition to mainland China below a historic agreement requiring it to finish formal recognition of Taiwan.
But Washington remains a staunch ally of Taipei and is bound by Congress to sell it weapons for self-defence. It opposes any move to alter Taiwan’s existing status by force.
Military tensions in between mainland China and Taiwan have grown sharper in the previous year — reaching their worst considering that the mid-1990s, some analysts say.
Chinese jets created a record 380 incursions into Taiwan’s defence zone final year, a military official mentioned Tuesday.
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Beijing’s animosity has improved considerably considering that Tsai Ing-wen won election as Taiwan’s president in 2016 — she rejects Beijing’s insistence that the island is element of “one China”.