China yesterday called on the United States not to “meddle” in Taiwan’s presidential elections and said it was “firmly opposed” to ties between Taipei and Washington, which announced the sending of a delegation to the island after the vote.
The US “should not interfere in the elections in the Taiwan region, in any form, in order to avoid serious damage to Sino-US relations”, said Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at a press conference.
“China firmly opposes any form of official exchange between the United States and Taiwan,” he stressed. “There is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China,” she stressed.
The United States, whose relations with China remain very tense, will send “an informal delegation” to Taiwan, after the presidential elections scheduled for Saturday, a senior American official announced this Wednesday.
Requesting anonymity, the same source warned Beijing against any “provocative” action after these crucial elections.
The comments were condemned on Thursday by Beijing. “China expresses its deep dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the United States’ reckless comments on the elections in the Taiwan region,” said Mao Ning.
“The issue of Taiwan is at the heart of China’s interests and constitutes the first insurmountable red line in Sino-American relations,” he stressed.
China considers Taiwan one of its provinces, which it has not yet managed to reunify with the rest of its territory since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949.
Beijing says it is in favor of a “peaceful” reunification with the island, where the approximately 23 million inhabitants are governed by a democratic system, but has never renounced the use of military force.
China is against increased contacts between North American and Taiwanese political leaders, which it considers to be a violation of the United States’ commitment not to maintain official relations with the island.