China warns US: Stop supporting Taiwan’s independence

China has urged the United States to exercise extreme caution regarding the Taiwan issue and to cease supporting the island’s independence, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun stated at a briefing on February 17.

“We urge the US to immediately correct its mistakes, strictly abide by the ‘one China’ principle and the provisions of the three joint China-US communiqués, be extremely cautious when it comes to the Taiwan issue, and stop using Taiwan to contain China,” Guo said, Caliber.Az reports, referring to international media.

His remarks came in response to reports that the US State Department had removed the phrase “we do not support Taiwan’s independence” from its website’s reference on Taiwan relations.

Guo emphasized that Washington must uphold its commitments made in the three joint Sino-US communiqués. “The United States has pledged to adhere to the ‘one China’ policy, and it should not renege on its promises,” he stressed.

The Chinese spokesman also called on Washington to stop facilitating Taiwan’s international presence and supporting its independence, warning that such actions could cause “further serious damage to Sino-US relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”

His comments echoed the position of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who, on January 24, conveyed a similar message to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a telephone conversation. According to a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Wang urged Washington to approach the Taiwan issue with caution. “Taiwan has been part of China’s territory since ancient times, and we will never allow Taiwan to secede from China,” Wang stated.

Tensions over Taiwan have been steadily rising, particularly since August 2022, when then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island. Beijing, which considers Taiwan a province of China, condemned her visit as a sign of US support for Taiwanese separatism.

The current status of Taiwan traces back to 1949, when the Chinese Civil War ended with the defeated Kuomintang forces, led by Chiang Kai-shek, retreating to the island. Formal relations between Beijing and Taipei were severed, though informal trade and communications resumed in the late 1980s. Since the early 1990s, both sides have engaged in dialogue through non-governmental organizations, namely the Beijing-based Association for the Development of Relations Across the Taiwan Strait and the Taipei-based Cross-Strait Exchange Foundation.

By Tamilla Hasanova