China's armed forces are ready to develop cooperation with the United States, but Taiwan remains a red line for any compromises, Chinese defense ministry spokesman Wu Qian said on Thursday
BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th November, 2021) China's armed forces are ready to develop cooperation with the United States, but Taiwan remains a red line for any compromises, Chinese defense ministry spokesman Wu Qian said on Thursday.
On Tuesday, the United States unveiled a list of 110 countries invited to attend a democracy summit in December. The list did not include China but included Taiwan.
"We have repeatedly emphasized that China adheres to certain principles with regard to the development of relations between armed forces of the two countries. These principles are that sovereignty, dignity and major interests of China cannot be violated. Especially on the Taiwan issue, on which China will not anyhow compromise. The US should have no illusions on this matter," Wu told a briefing.
The spokesman noted that maintaining healthy and stable relations between armed force of China and the United States serves the interests of both countries and meets the expectations of the international community. China attaches great importance to the development of relations and is ready to support exchange and cooperation with the US, he added.
On Wednesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian criticized Taiwan's invitation to the US summit, calling on Washington to respect the "One-China" principle. He stressed that Taiwan is "an inalienable part" of China and that Taiwan has "no other status in international law except being part of China".
China and Taiwan split ways in 1949, when Chiang Kai-shek and the remnants of his Kuomintang government fled to Taiwan after suffering defeat from the Communist party. Since the 1980s, the relations between China and Taiwan started improving as China was promoting the concept of "One Country, Two Systems," granting Taiwan a significant autonomy if it accepted Chinese reunification. Starting from the 1990s, Taiwan and China have had informal communication channels through nongovernmental organizations. After Taiwan rejected the offer and set a course on democratization, the lean towards Taiwan's secession and independence started, complicating the bilateral relationship.
