China fumes as US greets Taiwan president-elect

Beijing, January 14

The Chinese foreign ministry on Sunday described a statement from US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, which congratulated Taiwan’s president-elect Lai Ching-te and said Washington looked forward to further its unofficial relationship with Taiwan, as sending a "seriously incorrect signal to Taipei independence separatist forces”.

Interference unacceptable

Beijing resolutely opposes the US interfering in Taiwan affairs in any form and under any pretext. China’s foreign ministry

Along with China’s foreign ministry, its embassies around the world this weekend warned countries against supporting Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and condemned foreign governments that congratulated Lai.

After DPP’s presidential candidate Lai won the election on Saturday, several ministers and politicians from countries that share warm, if in most cases unofficial, ties with the self-ruled island sent congratulatory messages to Lai and the DPP. China views DPP as a secessionist force.

The Chinese embassy had on Saturday condemned what it called the “incorrect actions” of British Foreign Minister David Cameron after he congratulated Lai and his party. “We urge the UK to acknowledge the position that Taiwan is a province of China...,” the embassy said.

The Chinese embassy in Japan went as far as lodging solemn representations, a form of official diplomatic protest, after Japanese foreign minister Yoko Kamikawa congratulated Lai. Kamikawa called the self-ruled island “an extremely crucial partner and an important friend”.

“We solemnly urge the Japanese side to ... refrain from disrupting peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and China-Japan relations,” the Chinese embassy said.

Xiao Qian, Chinese ambassador to Australia, had on Friday warned his host country of unspecified dangers if it were to support “Taiwan independence forces”. — Reuters

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