US urged to ‘play no games’ over Taiwan
China ‘will never waver’ in defending core interests, says vice-foreign minister
Beijing asked Washington on Tuesday to “give up the attempt to use Taiwan to contain China” and “play no games”, urging the United States to honor the one-China principle and the three landmark China-US joint communiques that enshrine the principle.
In an interview with media including China Daily on Monday about the Taiwan Straits situation, Vice-Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu said the Chinese people “are not to be misled by fallacies or scared by evils, and will never waver in defending our core interests”.
Experts said this statement shows China’s strong will to safeguard its sovereignty as well as its sincerity in keeping China-US ties afloat.
Washington has recently warned that it will be forced to respond if China continues to take more countermeasures against the recent provocative visit to Taiwan by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
In response, Ma said, “We want to stress to the US: Do not act recklessly, and stop going further down this doomed path.” He asked the US to “do the right thing and take concrete steps to facilitate the steady development of China-US relations”.
On Friday, Beijing announced its decision to cancel three cooperative dialogues or meetings with the US in the field of defense and suspended two-way judicial cooperation in areas such as illegal immigration, cross-border crimes and narcotics, as well as bilateral consultation on climate change.
While Washington claimed that the decision does not punish the US but the whole world, Ma replied that “the US cannot represent the whole world”.
“China had warned the US well in advance that should Pelosi visit Taiwan, it would cause a crisis and major disruptions to China-US exchanges and cooperation,” he added.
Su Xiaohui, deputy director of the China Institute of International Studies’ Department of American Studies, said sincerity is a necessity for keeping China-US communication afloat, and it’s the foundation for avoiding miscalculations.
“Washington seeks dialogue with Beijing to minimize the risk of unexpected emergencies. However, it is reluctant to stop reconnaissance and drills against the Chinese side,” she said.
Since the US continues to increase its military presence at China’s doorstep and undermine regional stability, it is unlikely that Beijing will let the US take all the benefits at the lowest cost, she added.
So far, more than 170 countries and many international organizations have spoken up to reaffirm their commitment to the one-China principle.
When asked about the recent “concern” expressed in a joint statement by the G7 and the European Union on the situation, Ma, the vice-minister, said, “Compared with over 170 countries, what do the G7 think they are? Who cares what they say?”
Dong Chunling, a research fellow on American studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, noted that Pelosi’s visit has prompted widespread criticism in the global community, and “Washington is faced with mounting losses and a worsening dilemma in the face of a series of military and diplomatic countermeasures by Beijing”.
“While the world expects the two countries to reinforce dialogue and cooperation to tackle the world’s deficit in development and security, the farce made by politicians like Pelosi marks a tragic manifestation of the failing US politics,” Dong said.
Challenging the US claim that China’s military drills in recent days have flared tension, Ma said it is the US “that is threatening peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits”.
The US and its allies often come to the waters near China flexing their muscles and stirring up trouble, and have conducted up to 100 military exercises each year, Ma added. “They, instead of someone else, are the ones that overreact and escalate the situation.”
Ma also stressed that “there is no such thing as a median line in the Straits”.
“The Chinese armed forces conduct military exercises in waters off China’s Taiwan island to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China. Our measures are open and proportionate,” he said.
As part of Washington’s backpedaling on its commitment to the three China-US communiques, US arms sales to Taiwan have witnessed consistent expansion, totaling more than $70 billion, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday.
The administration of US President Joe Biden alone has sold more than $1.1 billion worth of arms to Taiwan, and in recent years, “the US has been increasingly blatant in adding ambiguity to, hollowing out and distorting the one-China principle”, he added.