BEIJING (AP) – Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the U.S. national security adviser. jake sullivan China’s Foreign Ministry said Saturday at high-level talks in the Thai capital that the United States should keep its promise not to support Taiwan’s independence.
According to a statement from the ministry, Wang said the fact that Taiwan is part of China has not changed with the recent elections and that the biggest challenge in U.S.-China relations is the issue of “Taiwan independence.”
we president joe biden He said he does not support Taiwan’s independence, but U.S. law requires a credible defense of Taiwan and Washington and requires that any threat to Taiwan be treated as a matter of “grave concern.”
Wang also said that the two countries should take this year’s 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations to reflect on their past experiences and treat each other equally instead of being condescending.
Wang said in a statement that the two sides should “commit to mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, and establish a correct way of exchange between China and the United States.”
Mr. Wang and Mr. Sullivan met in Bangkok on Friday and Saturday, and a statement from both governments praised the talks as “candid, substantive and constructive.” The two previously met in Vienna last year with the Mediterranean island nation of Malta, followed by high-profile talks between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in November.
During talks in November, the two countries unveiled modest agreements to combat illegal fentanyl, re-establish military communications and prevent further deterioration of relations. However, the meeting did not resolve any major differences between the two countries, many of which had international implications.
In a White House statement about Saturday’s talks, Sullivan emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
China claims that Taiwan is its own territory, and in recent years has shown displeasure with political activities there, including sending military aircraft and warships. Earlier on Saturday, Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense said China had sent more than 30 fighter jets and a fleet of naval ships toward Taiwan within 24 hours, including 13 jets on the unofficial border between Taiwan and Taiwan. They announced that they had crossed the midline of the strait. between its territory and the mainland.
Taiwan announced that six Chinese balloons had passed over the island or in its airspace just north of it, days after the autonomous island elected Lai Ching-de as its new president. Mr. Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party campaigned primarily on the platform of national self-determination, social justice, and rejection of the Chinese threat.
According to the White House, the officials also touched on other issues apart from cross-strait issues, including Russia’s war with Ukraine, the Middle East, North Korea, the South China Sea and Myanmar.
Sullivan stressed that although the United States and China are competitive, both sides need to “avoid falling into conflict or conflict.”
According to the Ministry of China, the two sides agreed that the two presidents will maintain regular contact, provide strategic guidance on bilateral relations, and promote U.S.-China exchanges in various fields and levels. He added that the two countries will launch a joint working group on counter-narcotics cooperation in the near future and will hold the first meeting of the China-US Dialogue Mechanism on Artificial Intelligence this spring.