China Blasts US-Taiwan Military Contacts After President Tsai Confirms American Presence on Island

Tensions over the Taiwan issue have escalated over the past month, as Beijing deployed around 150 military aircraft into Taiwan's air defence zone for drills. In the meantime, Taipei has warned that mainland China may be fully prepared to attack the island by 2025, while US President Joe Biden pledged to defend Taiwan from Beijing, if necessary.

"The US must adhere to the One China principle and provisions of three US-Chinese communique. We strongly oppose any official and military contacts between the US and Taiwan, as well as US interference in China's internal affairs", foreign ministry's spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a briefing, stressing that Sino-American relations are based on the One China principle.

The statement comes after the head of the Taiwan administration, Tsai Ing-wen, confirmed to CNN in a fresh interview that US troops are present on the island to train Taiwanese forces. Tsai also claimed that the "threat" from China is increasing every day and expressed confidence in Washington's support in the event of an attack.

Chinese and Taiwanese national flags are displayed alongside a military airplane in this illustration taken April 9, 2021

© REUTERS / DADO RUVIC

Taiwan has been governed independently from mainland China since 1949, after the end of the civil war in the country.

Beijing considers the island to be its province, while Taiwan — a territory with its own democratically elected government — maintains that it is an autonomous country and has political and economic relations with several other nations that recognise its sovereignty.