U.S.-Taiwan partnership? China has had enough.
| Beijing
China has demanded the U.S. cease military 鈥渃ollusion鈥� with Taiwan during a virtual meeting on Thursday between the joint chiefs of staff from the two countries whose relationship has grown increasingly fractious.
Gen. Li Zuocheng told Gen. Mark Milley on Thursday that China had 鈥渘o room for compromise鈥� on issues affecting its 鈥渃ore interests,鈥� which include self-governing Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own territory to be annexed by force if necessary.
鈥淐hina demands the U.S. ... cease reversing history, cease U.S.-Taiwan military collusion and avoid impacting China-U.S. ties and stability in the Taiwan Strait,鈥� Mr. Li said.
The Chinese military would 鈥渞esolutely safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f anyone creates a wanton provocation, they will be met with the firm counterattack from the Chinese people.鈥�
Such language is fairly routine and Mr. Li was also quoted in a Defense Ministry news release saying China hoped to 鈥渇urther strengthen dialogue, handle risks, and promote cooperation, rather than deliberately creating confrontation, provoking incidents and becoming mutually exclusive.鈥�
China routinely flies warplanes near Taiwan to advertise its threat to attack, and the island鈥檚 Defense Ministry said Chinese air force aircraft crossed the middle line of the Taiwan Strait dividing the two sides on Friday morning. It said measures were taken in response, including the scrambling of Taiwanese jets.
Such 鈥減rovocative behavior ... has seriously damaged regional peace and stability,鈥� the ministry said.
Asked about the incident, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, 鈥淭his exercise by China is directed at external interference and separatist Taiwan independence forces.鈥�
The meeting between Mr. Li and Mr. Milley followed fiery comments by Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe at a regional security conference last month that was also attended by U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
Mr. Wei accused the United States of trying to 鈥渉ijack鈥� the support of countries in the Asia-Pacific region to turn them against Beijing, saying Washington is seeking to advance its own interests 鈥渦nder the guise of multilateralism.鈥�
At the same meeting in Singapore, Secretary Austin said China was causing instability with its claim to Taiwan and its increased military activity in the area.
And in May, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called China the 鈥渕ost serious long-term challenge to the international order鈥� for the United States, with its claims to Taiwan and efforts to dominate the strategic South China Sea, prompting an angry response from Beijing.
The U.S. and its allies have responded with what they term 鈥渇reedom of navigation鈥� patrols in the South China Sea, prompting angry responses from Beijing.
Despite not having formal diplomatic relations in deference to Beijing, Washington remains Taiwan鈥檚 chief ally and supplier of defense weapons. U.S. law requires the government to treat all threats to the island as matters of 鈥済rave concern,鈥� although it remains ambiguous on whether the U.S. military would defend Taiwan if it were attacked by China.
The latest round of heated rhetoric comes ahead of a meeting between Mr. Blinken and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on Saturday at a gathering of foreign ministers from the G-20 bloc of industrialized nations in Indonesia that is expected to be overshadowed by disagreements over Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine.
China has refused to criticize Moscow鈥檚 aggression or even term it an invasion, while condemning Western sanctions against Russia and accusing the U.S. and NATO of provoking the conflict.
Along with Taiwan and the South China Sea, Washington and Beijing are also at odds over trade, human rights, and China鈥檚 policies in Tibet and toward mainly Muslim Turkic minorities in the northwestern region of Xinjiang.
The story was reported by the Associated Press.
