China declared itself “strongly opposed” to any official exchanges between the United States and Taiwan on Monday, January 15, just hours after the island's president-elect Lai Ching-te welcomed an American delegation following his election victory. “China has always firmly opposed any form of official exchanges between the United States and Taiwan and firmly rejected any interference by the United States in Taiwan's affairs in any way or under any pretext,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Press conference.
China views Taiwan as an integral part of its territory and seeks reunification, even by force if necessary. Beijing does not have diplomatic relations with countries that officially recognize Taiwan as an independent state.
Washington portrayed the delegation sent to Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, as unofficial and part of normal protocol. This delegation consists of former national security adviser Stephen Hadley, former deputy secretary of state James Steinberg and president of the American Institute in Taiwan Laura Rosenberger .
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Taiwan accuses China of “diplomatic oppression.”
“We urge the United States to recognize the extreme complexity and sensitivity of the Taiwan issue and sincerely uphold the one-China principle […] and to reiterate previous statements by U.S. leaders that they do not support Taiwan's independence,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.
Washington should “respect its commitments to Taiwan and not seek to use the Taiwan issue as a tool to contain China.” […] and not send misleading signals to Taiwan’s pro-independence separatist forces,” she added.
Taiwan voters handed Lai Ching-te, the pro-independence leader of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, a comfortable victory on Saturday. The Chinese spokesman said Monday that the vote was “a local matter related to China.”
For their part, the Taiwanese authorities accused China of “diplomatic oppression” after the island of Nauru, a small Pacific state, decided to cut ties with Taipei and now recognize Beijing. “As the world congratulates Taiwan on its successful elections, Beijing has launched a diplomatic crackdown that represents a response to democratic values and an obvious challenge to the stability of the international order,” said Olivia Lin, spokeswoman for the Taiwanese presidency.
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