China scraps cooperation with US over Taiwan spat

BEIJING (AFP) - China said Friday it was ending cooperation with the United States on key issues including climate change – a move

Washington decried as "fundamentally irresponsible" as relations between the two superpowers nosedive over Taiwan.

The damaging rift, which carries significant geostrategic risk, was triggered by Chinese fury over a visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory and has vowed to retake – by force if necessary.

It has since Thursday encircled the self-ruled, democratic island with a series of huge military drills that have been roundly condemned by the United States and other Western allies.

And Friday saw China's foreign ministry hit back further against the United States, suspending talks and cooperation on multiple agreements – including on climate change.

The world's two largest polluters last year pledged to work together to accelerate climate action this decade, and vowed to meet regularly to tackle the crisis.

But that deal now looks shaky in light of China's latest move.

"We believe that this is fundamentally irresponsible," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Washington.

"They think they're punishing us... they're actually punishing the whole world," Kirby said, adding that the only way to defuse tensions was for China to halt its "provocative" military exercises.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned the two superpowers must continue to work together – for the world's sake.

"For the secretary-general there is no way to solve the most pressing problems of all the world without an effective dialogue and cooperation between the two countries," his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang said the "evil neighbor next door" had taken everyone by surprise with its willingness to "arbitrarily jeopardize the busiest waterways in the world" with its military exercises.

Beijing has said its drills will continue until midday Sunday, and Taipei reported that 68 Chinese planes and 13 warships crossed the "median line" that runs down the Taiwan Strait on Friday.

"The fact is, the speaker's visit was peaceful," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said after talks with Southeast Asian foreign ministers at an ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh.

"There is no justification for this extreme, disproportionate and escalatory military response," he added. China's foreign minister countered by warning Washington not to escalate tensions.

"America's habit is to create a problem and then use this problem to achieve its goals. But this approach will not work with China," Wang Yi told a press conference on the summit sidelines.

"We want to issue a warning to the US not to act rashly and not to create a bigger crisis."