US’ Taiwan envoy urges Beijing to keep communication lines open to avert conflict
- Laura Rosenberger begins trip to the island with call to ‘manage competition responsibly’
- Need for smooth contact highlighted by weekend close encounter in the Taiwan Strait, she says
Washington and Beijing must maintain a smooth channel of communication to avoid conflict, the US’ de facto envoy to Taiwan said on Monday at the start of a six-day visit to the island.
Laura Rosenberger, chairwoman of the American Institute in Taiwan – the de facto US embassy on the self-ruled island – also said the United States would continue its warship and plane transits through the Taiwan Strait in line with international law.
Rosenberger, a former senior National Security Council official, said Kritenbrink’s visit was part of US efforts to “responsibly manage competition and the relationship with China”.
“The United States believes that open lines of communication are important in order to manage competition responsibly, to ensure it does not veer into conflict,” Taiwan’s semi-official Central News Agency quoted her as saying.
Through such communication, Washington and Beijing would be able to find ways to address not only issues of bilateral and global concern, but also – where possible – to identify new ways for the two sides to work together on global challenges, she said.