US should stop 'using Taiwan to contain China,' take concrete actions to preserve bilateral ties, says Chinese embassy

WASHINGTON -- China urges the US side "to stop arming Taiwan and its provocative moves of using Taiwan to contain China," the Chinese Embassy in the United States has said at a press briefing.

"The US side needs to take concrete actions to preserve the overall as well as mil-to-mil ties between China and the US, and safeguard regional peace and stability," Minister Counselor Liu Pengyu said Tuesday as he elaborated on China's position on the Taiwan question.

On the upcoming "inauguration" on May 20 in the Taiwan region, Liu, also the embassy's spokesperson, said the elections in Taiwan are local elections.

The result cannot change the basic fact that there is but one China in the world and Taiwan is a part of China; nor can it alter the historical trend of Taiwan's reunification with the motherland, Liu said.

The Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, which is an undeniable, universal consensus of the international community and a basic norm in international relations, said Liu.

The Democratic Progressive Party authorities are constantly promoting "de-sinicization" and undertaking separatist activities step by step and attempting to expand Taiwan's so-called "international space," Liu noted.

Promoting peace across the Taiwan Strait means opposing separatist moves, and the stronger the commitment to the one-China principle, the more peaceful the Strait will be, he said.

Noting that the Taiwan question is at the very core of China's core interests and the most important and sensitive issue in China-US relations, Liu said China urges the US side to act on US President Joe Biden's commitment of not supporting "Taiwan independence," "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan" and not taking Taiwan as a tool to contain China.

The US side should stop official interactions with the Taiwan authorities and not make them feel supported in seeking "Taiwan independence," he added.

The Taiwan question is China's internal affair, which should be left to the Chinese people, Liu stressed.

"We will strive for the prospect of peaceful reunification with the utmost sincerity and the utmost effort. In the meantime, we will not allow anyone to separate Taiwan from China by any means. No one should underestimate China's determination, resolve and capability to safeguard her sovereignty and territorial integrity," Liu said.

Noting the recent negative moves and statements by the US side on the Taiwan question, Liu said that the Taiwan question is the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations.

The US side invited the Taiwan region to participate in the World Health Assembly (WHA) as an observer, and certain US officials have made misleading remarks on United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 2758.

"We stress that UNGA Resolution 2758 and WHA Resolution 25.1 fully reflect and recognize the one-China principle. They should not be challenged or tempered with. Taiwan's participation in international organizations must be and can only be approached under the one-China principle," Liu said.

On US congressional visits to Taiwan and the second phase of negotiations under the so-called "US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade," Liu said that China firmly opposes official interactions between the United States and the island or US interference in Taiwan affairs that are China's internal affairs.

Liu also pointed out that US arms sales to the Taiwan region is a "dangerous bet," which violates the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques.