NEW YORK, Sept 23 (Reuters) – China accused the United States of sending “very wrong and dangerous signals” on Taiwan, after the US secretary of state told his Chinese counterpart on Friday that maintaining peace and stability in Taiwan was of utmost importance. .
Taiwan was the focus of 90 minutes of “frank and frank” talks between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, a US official told reporters.
“For our part, the secretary made it clear that, in accordance with our longstanding one-China policy, which has not changed again, maintaining peace and stability across the strait is absolutely essential,” the senior US administration said. said the officer.
‘DEVASTATE OUR BILATERAL TIES’
Blinken’s meeting with Wang was preceded by the foreign ministers of the Quad group of Australia, India, Japan and the United States, which issued a statement, citing the Indo-Pacific, “that we strongly oppose any unilateral action they seek. To see also : On the United States, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the US Freedom of Navigation – Analysis.” to change the situation or increase tensions in the region.”
Since Pelosi’s visit, “China has taken several provocative steps that have acted to change the situation by design,” the US official said.
US Vice President Kamala Harris will discuss Taiwan’s security during bilateral meetings with the leaders of US allies Japan and South Korea when she visits them next week, another US official said. Read more
Daniel Russel, the top US diplomat for Asia under President Barack Obama, said the meeting between Blinken and Wang was important after the confusion over Pelosi’s visit, and hopefully some progress will be made towards arranging a meeting between Xi and Biden. on the sidelines of a G-20 meeting in November, which would be his first as leader.
“Wang and Blinken’s decision to meet in New York does not guarantee that the November summit will go well or even happen. But if they could not meet, it meant that the prospects for the November summit were poor,” he said. Russel, now with the Asia Society.
In a speech at the Asia Society in New York on Thursday, Wang said the Taiwan issue was becoming the biggest risk to China and the US. relationships
“If mishandled, it is likely to destroy our bilateral relations,” Wang said, according to a transcript from the Chinese embassy.
Likewise, the decades-old law that defines Washington’s unofficial relations with Taiwan – which Beijing considers void – makes clear that Washington’s decision to establish diplomatic relations with China in 1979 “is based on the hope that Taiwan’s future will be determined through peaceful means.”
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Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk, David Brunnstrom, Michael Martina and Simon Lewis; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Edited by Mary Milliken, Jonathan Oatis and Sandra Maler
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