On Tuesday (June 8), the Chinese Communist government lodged a diplomatic protest against the United States and warned it against forging trade deal and bilateral ties with the island nation. The development comes at the backdrop of 3 US senators’ visit to Taiwan in a military aircraft, US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III freighter, for vaccine donation on Monday.
As part of its expansionist policy, China considers Taiwan as a part of its own territory. Therefore, it has discouraged diplomatic ties between the island nation and other countries. The three US senators, namely, Tammy Duckworth, Dan Sullivan, and Christopher Coons, had visited Taiwan’s capital Taipei to announce that they will donate 7.5 lac Coronavirus vaccine doses to the country. During a Congressional hearing, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also emphasised that talks were underway about a possible trade deal.
“I know we are engaged in conversations with Taiwan, or soon will be, on some kind of framework agreement,” Blinken had said. He further added, “We are committed to the proposition that Taiwan must have the means to defend itself, and that is consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act. We’ve continued to provide significant equipment and sales to Taiwan for that purpose. We have real concerns about the increased aggression that the government in Beijing has shown towards Taiwan.”
Senator Tammy Duckworth, who visited Taipei, had remarked, “It was critical to the United States that Taiwan be included in the first group to receive vaccines because we recognise your urgent need and we value this partnership.” Meanwhile, the island nation of Taiwan has blamed China for isolating it globally and creating hindrances in the procurement of Coronavirus vaccines, amidst rising cases. The attempts to forge a diplomatic deal with Taiwan, coupled with the use of a military carrier by the US, had rattled the Communist regime of China.
China warns US against establishing trade deals
On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian warned the US to handle the ‘Taiwan issue’ cautiously, cease official exchanges and stop sending wrong signals to ‘Taiwan Independence forces.’ Another spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, claimed that the visit of the US senators ‘gravely violated’ 3 China-US joint communique and one-China policy. He has asked the US to maintain the status quo to avoid causing ‘serious damage’ to their bilateral ties and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Despite Chinese aggression, the US remains a strong ally of Taiwan and its largest arms supplier.