The US government announced it will hold trade talks with Taiwan, in a new show of support for the self-governing island that China claims as part of its territory, prompting Beijing to warn Thursday that if necessary it would take steps to “safeguard their sovereignty”.
The announcement of trade talks came after Beijing conducted military exercises that included launching missiles into the seas surrounding Taiwan, in an attempt to intimidate the island after a visit this month by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. of the United States, Nancy Pelosi, the highest ranking US government official to visit the territory in 25 years.
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s government criticized the planned talks as an affront to his position that Taiwan has no right to build foreign relations. He warned Washington not to encourage the island to try to make its de facto independence permanent, a step that Beijing says would lead to war.
“China is firmly opposed to this,” said Commerce Ministry spokesman Shu Jueting. He called on Washington to “fully respect China’s fundamental interests.”
Also on Thursday, Taiwan’s military conducted a missile and cannon drill simulating a response to a Chinese missile attack.
Taiwan and China separated in 1949 after a civil war and have no official relations but are linked by billions of dollars in trade and investment. The island has never been part of the People’s Republic of China, but the ruling Communist Party says the island is bound to rejoin the mainland, even by force if necessary.
President Joe Biden’s coordinator for the Indo-Pacific region, Kurt Campbell, said last week that the trade talks “will deepen our ties with Taiwan” but stressed that the policy was not changing. The United States does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, its ninth-largest trading partner, but maintains extensive informal ties.
The announcement from the Office of the US Trade Representative made no mention of tensions with Beijing, but indicated that the talks are aimed at improving trade and regulatory cooperation, a step that would involve closer official interaction.
Being able to export more to the United States could help Taiwan fend off Chinese attempts to use its status as the island’s largest trading partner as political leverage. Mainland China has blocked imports of Taiwanese citrus and other foods in retaliation for Pelosi’s visit on August 2.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry expressed a “high welcome” to the trade talks, which it said would turn a “new page” in relations with the United States.
“As the situation across the Taiwan Strait has recently escalated, the US government will continue to take concrete steps to maintain security and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” it said in a statement.
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