US must stop playing 'Taiwan card'

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018, passed by the US House of Representatives on July 14, requires the secretary of defense to study the feasibility of "re-establishing" regular ports of call for the United States Navy at Kaohsiung or any other suitable port in Taiwan and "normalizing" the transfer of defense equipment and services to the island.

China has strongly opposed the move, because if the US Senate votes in favor of the bill and US President Donald Trump signs it into law, it will be a serious violation of the one-China policy and the Three Joint Communiqu��s that guide Sino-US relations.

During the talks for normalizing Sino-US diplomatic ties, former leader Deng Xiaoping made it absolutely clear that Washington has to sever "diplomatic" ties with Taiwan, withdraw US troops from Taiwan and annul the mutual defense treaty with Taiwan. Diplomatic ties were normalized on Jan 1, 1979, only after the Jimmy Carter administration agreed to fulfill the three conditions.