China has urged the United States to stop providing arms to Taiwan and consider its concerns seriously.
Beijing made the call during the latest round of U.S.-China Defense Policy Coordination Talks, hosted by the Pentagon.
The first military talks between the two major powers since 2021 were held a few days ahead of Taiwan’s presidential and parliamentary elections.
The Chinese government said in a statement that it would “not make any concession or compromise on the Taiwan question and demand that the US side honor the one-China principle, relevant commitments, stop arming Taiwan, and not support Taiwan independence.”
A statement issued by the U.S. Defense Department said the two sides discussed U.S.-China defense relations, and the U.S. representative highlighted the importance of maintaining open lines of military-to-military communication in order to prevent competition from veering into conflict.
Dr. Michael Chase, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia, “also discussed the importance of operational safety across the Indo-Pacific region; reaffirmed that the United States will continue to fly, sail, and operate safely and responsibly wherever international law allows; and underscored that the U.S. commitment to our allies in the Indo-Pacific and globally remains ironclad,” the statement says.
Dr.Chase underscored the importance of respect for high seas freedom of navigation guaranteed under international law in light of repeated Chinese harassment against lawfully operating Philippine vessels in the South China Sea.
He also reiterated that the United States remains committed to the one China policy, which is guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the Three U.S.-China Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances, and he reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability across the Strait.
The United States has no official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but through the Taiwan Relations Act, it has continued selling arms and providing military training to Taiwanese Armed Forces.
In December, the State Department approved a $300 million equipment package in support of Taiwan’s tactical information systems.
In retaliation, China imposed sanctions on five U.S. defense industry companies last week.
Close relationship between these allied countries is a major irritant to Beijing. Under its One-China policy, the Chinese Government states that Taiwan is a breakaway province and part of it, but the government in the East Asian island nation rejects that claim.
The U.S.-China talks resumed in Washington this week as a result of an agreement signed by the presidents of the two countries during their summit meeting in November.
As a follow-up, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. called his People’s Liberation Army counterpart via video teleconference on December 21.
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