Taiwan-China
Taipei: Taiwan will further strengthen security cooperation with the US, the Taiwanese Foreign Ministry said on Friday, commenting on the recent talks between the US and Chinese presidents.
On Thursday, US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a phone conversation, discussing, among other topics, Taiwan.
The White House said Biden underscored that the US policy on Taiwan remains unchanged and Washington continues to oppose any unilateral efforts to alter the existing status quo.
China's state media meanwhile reported that Xi, while speaking about Taiwan, warned Biden that "one who plays with fire will certainly get burned."
"We will continue to deepen the close security partnership between Taiwan and the United States, jointly defend the rule-based international order and promote security in the Taiwan Strait as well as peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region," the Taiwanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement on the US-Chinese talks.
The ministry also noted that the US side has communicated the details of the conversation to Taiwan immediately after its conclusion. Notably, Washington informed Taipei that Biden reiterated the US unwavering position on Taiwan and emphasized that Washington firmly opposes undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
The US and Chinese leaders held phone talks amid the reports about an anticipated visit of House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan. Those plans have sparked a major backlash from Beijing, which condemns any official contacts between the US and Taiwan, with the White House not publicly commenting on Pelosi's plans.
During the conversation, Xi also said that interference in Taiwan's affairs was unacceptable, arguing that the will of the Chinese people to defend China's sovereignty and territorial integrity was "unshakable."
Taiwan became alienated from Beijing after becoming a stronghold of the Chinese Nationalist Party (the Kuomintang), which suffered defeat to the Communist Party in a civil war in 1949.
The Chinese mainland and the island resumed business and informal contacts in the late 1980s. Beijing opposes any official contacts of foreign countries with Taiwan and considers Chinese sovereignty over the island indisputable.
(With UNI inputs)
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