China warns US about Taiwan

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang warned the US on Tuesday of its approach to Taiwan and said no one has the right to interfere in China's internal affairs.

Qin summarized China's foreign policy stance at the press conference. In his speech, he especially focused on the war in the USA, Taiwan, Russia and Ukraine.

TAIWAN ISSUE 'RED LINE'

Speaking on the sidelines of the annual National People's Congress in Beijing, Qin said the Taiwan issue and Washington's One China Policy are the basis of all relations between the two global powers.

He said no other country had the right to interfere in the Taiwan issue, describing it as a "red line" that Washington should not cross.

Qin added that China reserves the option to take measures it deems necessary to achieve "reunification" with Taiwan.

Under the One China Policy, the United States recognizes Beijing and also accepts China's position that Taiwan is part of the country.

US lawmakers visited the autonomous region last year, igniting Beijing's anger.

USA 'DIVERSE FROM RATIONAL PATH'

Referring to China's increasingly tense relationship with the United States, Qin said that Washington is responsible for the downward spiral in relations.

The foreign minister said US policy towards China had "deviated from the rational, sound path".

He said the US's recent decision to drop a suspected Chinese spy bubble has created a diplomatic crisis that could have been avoided. China said the plane was used for weather research.

Qin said if Washington didn't change course, "there will definitely be conflict".

Qin had served as China's ambassador to the United States before taking the post of foreign minister.

'AN INVISIBLE HAND'

While Qin has called for peace talks and a diplomatic solution to Russia's war against Ukraine, he also seemed to claim that some countries had a hidden agenda behind the conflict.

"An invisible hand," he said, "is using the Ukraine crisis to serve specific geopolitical agendas."

In a recent position paper on China's stance on the war, Beijing called for dialogue but did not propose new initiatives for peace talks.

As Russia becomes more and more isolated on the international stage, its ties with China are growing.

According to Qin, China believes that any peace talks should respect "legitimate security concerns of all parties". He also appeared to urge countries to soften punitive measures against Russia, saying that "sanctions and repression will not solve the problem".

In the year since the war broke out, China has yet to condemn Russia's move to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Germany and other western countries are increasingly concerned that China could send weapons and other supplies to an ammo-strapped Russia.

(Telegraph India)