AN FENGSHAN, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, on Sunday said the signing of a Taiwan-related bill by the U.S. had sent a “gravely wrong signal” to “Taiwan independent” separatists.
It was reported that U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday signed the bill that encourages visits between the United States and China’s Taiwan at all levels.
“Once again, I would like to sternly warn Taiwan that relying on foreigners to build you up will only draw fire against yourself,” said An.
An said the bill had caused a severe blow to the complex and grave situation of cross-Strait relations and the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
Also, China has lodged stern representations with the United States over the bill, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said over the weekend.
“We firmly oppose the U.S. side signing the Taiwan Travel Act,” spokesperson Lu Kang said.
“As has been pointed out many times by China, the relevant clauses of the act, though not legally binding, severely violate the one-China principle and the three joint communiques between China and the United States,” Lu said.
The Taiwan Travel Act sends out very wrong signals to “pro-independence” separatist forces in Taiwan, Lu said, noting that China was strongly opposed to this.
“We urge the U.S. side to correct its mistake, stop pursuing any official ties with Taiwan or improving its current relations with Taiwan in any substantive way, and handle Taiwan-related issues properly and cautiously so as to avoid causing severe damage to China-U.S. relations and cross-Strait peace and stability,” Lu said.
“Taiwan is a part of China and issues regarding Taiwan are completely internal affairs of China,” said Wu Qian, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense.
Wu stressed that the bill had interfered in the internal affairs of China and injured the environment for the development of relations between the two countries’ militaries.
“China demands that the U.S. keep its promises, rectify its wrongs, refrain from implementing relevant clauses of the bill and stop seeking any official contacts, military ties or arms sales with Taiwan, so as to avoid doing serious harm to the China-U.S. relationship, the ties between the two countries’ militaries and the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” Wu said.
Experts also expressed concerns over the cross-Strait stability and the China-U.S. relations since the report came out.
Guo Yongjun with China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations said the “Taiwan Travel Act” interfered in China’s internal affairs and violated the one-China policy which the United States has long been upholding.
Guo said “Taiwan independent” separatists should not pin their hopes on the United States and confrontation with the mainland will only lead to a dead end.
Ni Yongjie, deputy director of the Shanghai Institute of Taiwan Studies, pointed out that trying to hold China in check with the “Taiwan card” is good to none.
(Xinhua)