China warned the u.s friday not to play
with fire by engaging taiwan which is
expected to receive billions of dollars
worth of u.s weapons and whose
democratically elected leader just
visited new york. "We urge the u.s to fully recognize the
gravity of the taiwan question, wang yi china's foreign minister," said
friday according to reuters. He added that the u.s should not to play
with fire on the question of taiwan.
If the u.s side wants to create new
troubles in u.s china relations
ultimately their actions will backfire
the chinese diplomat remarked the
associated press reported. Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen despite
chinese opposition was permitted to make
a stopover in new york on thursday. During her visit she stressed that
taiwan will not bend to beijing's will
or abandon plans to again become a
recognized member of the united nations.
Taiwan will never succumb to any threats
from beijing now or in the future. Tsai said at a high profile event at the
de facto embassy in new york south china
morning post reported, any obstacles will
only strengthen taiwan's resolution to
join the international community.
Since she became president in 2016 sai
has made several trips to the u.s and
each time beijing urged Washington to
stop her from entering the country a
move beijing believes helps legitimize
the government in taiwan a territory
perceived by the mainland chinese
government as a breakaway province. Days before Tsai's visit the u.s state
department approved a 2.2 billion
dollars arms sale to taiwan. The package includes more than 100 M-1 Abrams tanks as well as surface-to-air
missiles.
The people's daily the mouthpiece of the
chinese communist party wrote in an
op-ed that the arms sail is a flagrant
interference in china's domestic affairs
that harms china's sovereignty and
security interests poisons the
development of military relations
between china and the u.s and gravely
undermines the cross-strait relations
and the peace and stability across the
taiwan strait.
The chinese government has been pushing
the u.s to cancel the planned sale and
has even threatened to sanction u.s
companies involved in the deal. The u.s side must understand that
selling arms to taiwan will not be able
to fill the huge gap of military
strength between the chinese mainland
and taiwan, the paper argued.
The chinese government has never
renounced the use of force as an option
for achieving reunification. If anyone wants to separate taiwan from
china the chinese military will
safeguard the national unity at all
costs, so as to protect china's
sovereignty and territorial integrity, chinese general Lee Zhuao Chung told the
u.s navy's top admiral earlier this year
according to SCMP.
The general's comments came as the u.s
increased the frequency at which it was
sending warships through the taiwan
strait a particularly sensitive waterway.
Taiwan has been a sore spot in the
bilateral u.s china relationship
throughout the trump administration. The chinese government says that u.s
engagement with taiwan is part of a vain
plot to suppress china, the Washington Post reported friday.
