Beijing Accuses Taipei, Washington of Provoking Tensions in Taiwan Strait

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Taipei and Washington are trying to change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait in an attempt to aid separatist forces in gaining independence of the island with the help of the United States, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Tuesday.

"It is the US and Taiwan separatist forces, not China, that seeks to change the status quo across the Taiwan Strait. There is only one China in the world. Taiwan is part of China. The Government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. The ‘Taiwan independence’ forces’ attempt to solicit foreign support including from the US to advance their agenda is the source of the current tensions in the Taiwan Strait," Zhao told a briefing.

The spokesman emphasized that the US, under the pretext of maintaining stability in the West Pacific, is openly trying to use Taiwan to contain China.

"If the US truly wants to guide the situation towards greater stability, it should immediately return to the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques and avoid sending any more wrong signal to ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces," Zhao added.

The White House has repeatedly stated that the US remains committed to the One China policy and does not support Taiwan’s independence, but insisted on continuing to help the island defend its security interests.

The situation around Taiwan escalated after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island in early August. China condemned Pelosi's trip, which it regarded as a gesture of support for separatism, and launched large-scale military exercises in the vicinity of the island. However, several more US high-level delegations visited Taiwan after Pelosi's visit. 

China considers Taiwan an unalienable part of its sovereign territory and opposes any official contacts between the island and other countries. The US has been supporting pro-independence forces in Taiwan and selling weapons to the island. Beijing has repeatedly said that the One China principle is a political foundation of China-US relations and that violations by Washington of its own obligations have been jeopardizing cooperation between the two countries, threatening peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.