• China warns US after Joe Biden says ready to defend Taiwan militarily

    Politics
    China warns US after Joe Biden says ready to defend Taiwan militarily
    Wang Yi, a Chinese state councillor and foreign minister, addressed a multilateral via video link and fired another salvo of condemnation at the United States.

    Digital Desk: After US President Joe Biden said in Tokyo that the US could "militarily" defend Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy that Beijing considers a breakaway region and has not ruled out using force to reunify it, China warned the US not to underestimate its "strong ability" to safeguard the country's territory.

    China's "firm commitment, ardent will, and strong capabilities" to preserve its sovereignty and territorial integrity should not be underestimated, according to Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin.

    At a press conference earlier in the day in Tokyo, Biden was asked directly if the US would support Taiwan militarily if China invaded. “Yes... "That's the pledge we made," Biden remarked, alluding to a Washington-Taipei deal.

    "They (China) are flirting with danger right now by flying so near and all the manoeuvres that they are performing," Biden said, referring to Chinese fighter planes increasingly flying into Taiwan's self-declared air defence zone over the Taiwan Strait.

    China has previously slammed Biden's east Asian tour, Tuesday's Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad conference, and the US' Indo-Pacific strategy, accusing the group of promoting regional conflict.

    China reacted angrily to Biden's Taiwan remarks.

    "On matters affecting China's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and other vital interests, no one should expect China to make any compromises or trade-offs," Wang said, warning the US against siding with the 1.4 billion Chinese people.

    Wang stated that the US should adhere to the one-China concept and the provisions of the three joint communiques between China and the US, as well as its commitment not to support "Taiwan independence."

    Wang Yi, a Chinese state councillor and foreign minister, addressed a multilateral via video link and fired another salvo of condemnation at the United States.

    In a reference to Quad, which he has previously associated with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), Wang encouraged Asia-Pacific countries to avoid any attempt to introduce military bloc or camp confrontation into the region.

    Wang mentioned the Asia-Pacific area. Wang delivered the statements during a virtual speech at the 78th session of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific's inaugural ceremony (ESCAP). "...we must unwaveringly protect peace and stability, firmly uphold the UN Charter's purposes and principles, and unequivocally reject any attempt to introduce military blocs and bloc confrontation into the "The peace and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region is not only about the region's fate, but also about the world's future," he said.