No change to US’ one-China stand on Taiwan, Blinken tells Wang Yi
- On G20 sidelines in Rome, US secretary of state says Washington opposes efforts by Beijing to raise tensions across the Taiwan Strait
- Both sides reaffirm need to keep communication lines open
Blinken made clear that Washington had not changed its one-China policy regarding Taiwan, and both sides acknowledged that open lines of communication were paramount, Reuters quoted a senior State Department official as saying.
Wang, meanwhile, said that Taiwan was the most sensitive issue between the US and China and would damage relations if mishandled. “The crux of the current situation in the Taiwan Strait is that the Taiwan authorities have repeatedly tried to break through the one-China framework, and US connivance and support for ‘Taiwan independence’ forces is also to blame,” he said according to a statement released by the Chinese foreign ministry.
“We require the US to pursue a real one-China policy, not a fake one-China policy; we require the US to fulfil its commitments to China, not act treacherously; we require the US to truly implement the one-China policy through action, rather than saying one thing and doing another.”
The People’s Liberation Army Air force has flown a record 450 sorties across the Taiwan Strait since January, mostly towards the island’s southwest – with 149 flights in the first four days of October, compared with 380 for all of last year.