US is ‘eroding’ one-China policy over Taiwan, former top envoy says
- Beijing says Washington’s inconsistent stance on ‘one China’ is a betrayal of foundation of diplomatic ties
- US now more focused on preventing China from changing status quo in Taiwan Strait instead of reassuring Beijing that Taipei will not change it
The United States is allowing for more strategic ambiguity in its one-China policy as it seeks to deter Beijing over Taiwan, a move analysts said stirred anger by “eroding” the very principle that China has built its ties with the US on.
In an interview with Chinese media last week, China’s former top envoy to the US, Cui Tiankai, accused Washington of changing the “status quo” on Taiwan by strengthening military and diplomatic ties with the self-ruled island, moves Cui said undermine the one-China policy Washington supported when it normalised relations with China in the 1970s.
“Today, the United States always says that it ‘opposes unilateral changes to the status quo’, implying that we are changing the status quo … [however] originally, the United States promised to only have economic, trade and cultural exchanges with Taiwan. But now it has military and official involvement. Doesn’t this change the status quo?
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