US asked to stop Taiwan meddling

Repeated 'independence' moves by DPP root cause of growing tensions

China has lodged solemn representations with the United States over Tuesday's meeting between the US deputy secretary of state and the external affairs head of Taiwan island in Washington, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Wednesday, expressing firm opposition to "any form of official exchanges between the US and the island".

The root cause of the new round of tension across the Taiwan Straits is the repeated attempts of the island's Democratic Progressive Party authority to seek "independence" by relying on the US, said Wang Wenbin, the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, noting that, meanwhile, some in the US intend to use Taiwan to contain China.

"We urge the US side to practically fulfill the US leaders' commitment of not supporting 'Taiwan independence'," he said, calling on the US to stop meddling in the Taiwan question and creating new factors of tension across the Taiwan Straits.

Zhu Fenglian, the spokeswoman for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, on Wednesday also slammed some US politicians who have urged an increase of US-Taiwan military financial exchanges and suggested the use of self-detonating drones in possible conflicts with China, saying that they were using the Taiwan question to contain China.

Last week, four US congressmen sent a letter to US President Joe Biden, urging him to include up to $2 billion in so-called foreign military financing grants for Taiwan island in his upcoming budget request, according to Reuters.

As reported by Nikkei Asia, US Marines would consider expanding the use of loitering munitions, or self-detonating drones, in the Indo-Pacific region, Marine Corps Commandant David Berger said last week, indicating these weapons could be deployed against Chinese warships at sea in a future possible conflict across the Taiwan Straits.

At a news conference in Beijing, Zhu said that "those moves and remarks of US politicians fully showed that US anti-China forces, out of their own interests, were condoning and supporting the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces to take risks and provoke tensions across the Taiwan Straits".

They are utilizing the island to "contain China's development "and "obstruct the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation", she said, warning that the attempt of the island's Democratic Progressive Party authority to seek independence by relying on the US would only harm Taiwan and "bring disaster to Taiwan compatriots".

The spokeswoman also expressed firm opposition to any forms of official or military exchanges between the US and the island, and urged the US to abide by the one-China principle, in response to a recent Taiwan visit by the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Michael Chase.

She stressed that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is part of China, and the DPP authority would fail in "hooking up with outside forces" to seek "independence".

Separately, Zhu denounced the DPP authority's "unpopular restriction" of personnel exchanges between the mainland and the island, which she said "goes against the wishes of compatriots on both sides" of the Taiwan Straits.

On Monday, the DPP authority lifted restrictions on individual and group tours from Hong Kong and Macao to travel to Taiwan, but is still restricting mainland tourists from visiting the island. Taiwan's mainland affairs council claimed that that's because of the "opaque epidemic situation" on the mainland.

The mainland spokeswoman criticized the remark, saying it was simply "an excuse made up by" the DPP authority, noting that the epidemic situation on the mainland "has entered a new stage, with economic and social life, including tourism, quickly and comprehensively returning to normal".

"This is a fact that is obvious to all," she said. "Taiwan compatriots can enjoy relaxing and reassuring journeys on the mainland to visit relatives and friends, and to study and work."

Given there has been no "direct response" from the DPP authority to the mainland's request to prioritize the resumption of direct flights with 16 mainland cities across the Straits, Zhu urged the DPP authority to take the "wellbeing of compatriots on both sides as a consideration", lift artificial restrictions as soon as possible and resume the normalization of cross-Straits direct flights.

Wang Qingyun contributed to this story.

jiangchenglong@chinadaily.com.cn