China: Beijing has informed US military officials that it will “never compromise” on Taiwan, the self-governing island that it claims as its own.
The Pentagon announced that China and the United States had concluded their two days of military talks in Washington, DC, on Tuesday. This is the latest round of talks since the two nations decided to resume military-to-military relations.
Following a meeting between US President, Mr. Joe Biden, and Chinese President, Mr. Xi Jinping, last November, the two sides decided to resume talks despite their disagreements on a number of issues, including Taiwan and Beijing’s assertive claims in the South China Sea.
In a statement on the discussions, China’s Ministry of National Defence urged the US to “stop arming” the island, which is hosting elections on Saturday, and “emphasised that it will never compromise or back down on the Taiwan issue.”
Legally, the US must give Taiwan the tools it needs to defend itself, and Beijing hasn’t ruled out using force to establish territorial dominance.
According to the statement, the Chinese side also asked the US to “reduce its military deployment and provocative actions in the South China Sea and stop supporting violations and provocations by individual countries.”
It stated, “The United States should stop with the exaggeration and hype, strictly rein in its frontline troops, and fully understand the root causes of maritime and air security issues.”
Beijing’s “nine-dash line,” which it claims almost the whole South China Sea under, was declared illegal by an international court in 2016.
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