United States won’t allow force against Taiwan, new US envoy says as Beijing piles on pressure
- Washington opposed to unilateral threats to change island’s status quo, Brent Christensen says
The United States will not stand by to allow any non-peaceful attempt to unilaterally alter the status quo of Taiwan, a senior US diplomat has said in an apparent warning against Beijing’s threats to retake the self-ruled island, by force if necessary.
Washington would also do all it could to help Taiwan rejoin some international organisations such as Interpol, the official said, despite strong protests from Beijing, which considers Taiwan a wayward province.
In his debut press conference on the island on Wednesday, Brent Christensen, the new director of the US de facto embassy, the American Institute in Taiwan, signalled stronger US support for the island in the face of persistent pressure from Beijing against Taipei.
“I am here to tell you that US policy towards Taiwan has not changed,” Christensen said.
“Any effort to determine the future of Taiwan by other than peaceful means represents a threat to the peace and security of the Western Pacific area and is of grave concern to the United States.
“We are opposed to unilateral attempts to change the status quo.”