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September 24, 2022 07:18
China accused the United States of sending “very dangerous and wrong signals” to Taiwan following the US Secretary of State told his Chinese counterpart on Friday that maintaining peace and stability in Taiwan is of paramount importance.
A senior US administration official told reporters that Taiwan was the centerpiece of the 90-minute “direct and honest” talks between US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and China’s Wang Yi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting in New York.
“For our part, the foreign minister made it clear that it is very important to maintain peace and stability across the straits, in accordance with the one-China policy that we have adhered to for a long time and has not changed,” the official added.
In a statement regarding the meeting, China’s Foreign Ministry said the United States was sending “very wrong and dangerous signals” regarding Taiwan, and that the more Taiwan independence activity was, the less likely a peaceful settlement would be.
“The Taiwan issue is an internal Chinese affair and the United States has no right to interfere in the way it is used to solve it,” the ministry quoted Wang as saying.
Tensions over Taiwan escalated following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan and an explicit pledge by US President Joe Biden to defend the island.
The meeting comes days following Biden said US forces would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack, prompting an angry response from China.
Source: agencies
