China opposes contact between US, Taiwan ‘in any form’

By Fuat Kabakci

BEIJING

China on Friday opposed the U.S. law endorsing improved military and defense cooperation with Taiwan.

“We firmly stand against the U.S. having official contact in any form or maintaining military relation with Taiwan,” Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of China’s State Council, said while commenting on the U.S. law.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate approved the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, which endorses expansion of joint military drills, and increased military and non-military high-level contacts with Taiwan.

Taiwan issue is a concern for the China’s sovereign right and territorial integrity, Xiaoguang added.

He underlined that Taiwan is the most significant and fragile issue for the China-U.S. relations, while warning the U.S. to not increase tension in the Taiwan Strait.

In 1979, the U.S. recognized the People’s Republic of China as the “legitimate authority representing China” by adopting the “One-China” policy.

However, the U.S. maintains relations with Taiwan unofficially. It sells weapons worth of billions of dollar each year to Taiwan.

Chinese nationalist leaders fled to Taiwan in 1949 to establish what they called “nationalist China” when Mao Zedong came to power.

China, which does not accept Taiwan's independence, argues that this island is its breakaway province since then.