China urges United States not to create tensions in Taiwan Strait

China has called on the United States to refrain from creating tensions in the Taiwan Strait and to avoid jeopardizing peace and stability in the region. This statement was made by the official spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Mao Ning, during a briefing on Monday, as reported by RIA Novosti.

Earlier, Raymond Greene, the director of the American Institute in Taiwan (de facto U.S. embassy in Taiwan), indicated in an interview with Taiwanese publication Liberty Times that the U.S. would refocus on Taiwan's military needs following the conclusion of the conflict in Ukraine. Greene also mentioned that Washington is currently making efforts to expedite military supplies to the island.

"The Taiwan issue lies at the core of China’s fundamental interests and constitutes a primary red line in Sino-American relations that must not be crossed," Mao Ning remarked in response to these reports.

She emphasized that China calls on the U.S. to adhere to the principle of "One China" and the provisions outlined in the three joint Sino-U.S. communiqués.

"We urge an end to arms sales to Taiwan and military cooperation between the U.S. and Taiwan, as well as a cessation of actions that create tension in the Taiwan Strait, thereby endangering peace and stability in the region," Mao Ning underlined.

China has repeatedly urged the U.S. to stop selling arms to Taiwan and creating tensions in the Taiwan Strait. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has pointed out that U.S. military engagements with Taiwan, along with Washington’s arms sales to Taipei, grossly violate the “One China” principle and the three joint Sino-U.S. communiqués, causing significant harm to China's sovereignty and security interests and undermining stability in the Taiwan Strait.

Beijing considers Taiwan an inseparable part of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and insists that adherence to the "One China" principle is a prerequisite for other nations wishing to establish or maintain diplomatic relations with the PRC. The principle of "One China" and the non-recognition of Taiwan's independence are also upheld by the United States, despite its close ties with Taipei across various sectors and its provision of arms to the island.

The situation surrounding Taiwan has escalated since Nancy Pelosi, then Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, visited the island in early August 2022. China, which views Taiwan as part of its territory, condemned Pelosi's visit, interpreting it as an endorsement of Taiwan's separatism by the U.S., and conducted extensive military exercises in response.

Official relations between the central government of China and the island province have been severed since 1949, following the defeat of the Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai-shek in the civil war against the Chinese Communist Party, forcing them to flee to Taiwan. Business and informal contacts between the island and mainland China resumed in the late 1980s. Since the early 1990s, the two sides have communicated through non-governmental organizations: Beijing's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) and Taipei's Strait Exchange Foundation (SEF).