Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Taiwan support spurs China warning to U.S.

- JOE McDONALD

BEIJING — China’s foreign minister warned the Biden administra­tion Sunday to roll back former President Donald Trump’s “dangerous practice” of showing support for Taiwan, the island democracy claimed by Beijing as its own territory.

The claim to Taiwan, which split with the mainland in 1949, is an “insurmount­able red line,” Wang Yi said at a news conference during the annual meeting of China’s ceremonial legislatur­e.

The United States has no official relations with Taiwan but extensive informal ties. Trump irked Beijing by sending Cabinet officials to visit Taiwan in a show of support.

“The Chinese government has no room for compromise,” Wang said.

“We urge the new U.S. administra­tion to fully understand the high sensitivit­y of the Taiwan issue” and “completely change the previous administra­tion’s dangerous practices of ‘crossing the line’ and ‘playing with fire,’” he said.

President Joe Biden says he wants a more civil relationsh­ip with Beijing but has shown no sign of softening Trump’s confrontat­ional measures on trade, technology and human rights.

Wang gave no indication how Beijing might react if Biden doesn’t change course, but the ruling Communist Party has threatened to invade if Taiwan declares formal independen­ce or delays talks on uniting with the mainland.

Wang’s comments in a wide-ranging, two-hour news conference reflected Beijing’s increasing assertiven­ess abroad and rejection of criticism over Hong Kong, the northweste­rn region of Xinjiang and other sensitive topics.

Wang defended proposed changes in Hong Kong that will tighten Beijing’s control by reducing the role of its public in government. He dismissed complaints that it erodes the autonomy promised to the former British colony when it returned to China in 1997.

The changes announced Friday follow the arrest of 47 pro-democracy figures in Hong Kong under a national security law imposed last year after months of anti-government protests.

Beijing needs to protect Hong Kong’s “transition from chaos to governance,” Wang said.

The proposal would give a pro-Beijing committee a bigger role in picking Hong Kong legislator­s. That would be a marked reduction of democracy and Western-style civil liberties in Hong Kong. Mainland officials say they want to make sure the territory is controlled by people deemed patriots.

“No one cares more about the developmen­t of democracy in Hong Kong than the central government,” Wang said. He said the changes will protect the “rights of Hong Kong residents and the legitimate interests of foreign investors.”

 ?? (AP/Mark Schiefelbe­in) ?? Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, shown Sunday during a news conference in Beijing, urged “the new U.S. administra­tion to fully understand the high sensitivit­y of the Taiwan issue.”
(AP/Mark Schiefelbe­in) Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, shown Sunday during a news conference in Beijing, urged “the new U.S. administra­tion to fully understand the high sensitivit­y of the Taiwan issue.”

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