The Taiwan issue is of key importance, it is the political foundation of Sino-US relations, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian
Chinese authorities strongly protest U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo’s statement on lifting restrictions on Washington’s cooperation with Taiwan bypassing Beijing. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Monday.
“We strongly protest against such moves by the US side”, – he stressed at a regular briefing. – “The Taiwan issue is of key importance, it is the political basis of Sino-US relations. It is an important factor on which their future development depends.”
The diplomat said Pompeo should stop “making mistakes and following the wrong path” to avoid negative consequences.
“We insist that the United States respect the ‘one China’ principle <…> and refrain from making any statements regarding increasing the level of contact and strengthening political ties with Taiwan”, – Zhao Lijian added.
As Michael Pompeo said on Saturday, Washington is “lifting all domestic restrictions” on cooperation with Taipei. Thus, previous recommendations for US agencies regarding contacts with this special region of the PRC have been invalidated.
Taiwan has been governed by its own administration since 1949, when the remnants of the Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) fled to the island after its defeat in the civil war. Since then, the flag and some other attributes of the former Republic of China, which existed on the mainland before the Communists came to power, have survived. Taiwan is considered a province of China according to the official position of the PRC, which is supported by most countries, including Russia.