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dpa
Taipei
Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen met online on Thursday with US Ambassador to the UN Kelly Craft, a display of collaborative partnership in the dying days of the administration of President Donald Trump that provoked predictable outrage in Beijing.
China condemned the talks, repeating its stance that it opposes all official contacts between Washington and Taiwan, which Beijing views as a breakaway province that will one day be part of the country again.
“There is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian, warning that “the US side will certainly pay heavily for its wrong decisions and wrong actions.”
The video conference was conducted one day after the cancellation of Craft’s planned visit to Taiwan, originally set for Wednesday to Friday this week. The US State Department on Wednesday cancelled all senior-level overseas travel originally set before the transition to the new administration of President-elect Joe Biden, also affecting Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s planned trip to Belgium.
In Taipei, Presidential Office spokesperson Xavier Chang said in a statement that in the video conference, both sides discussed issues including Taiwan’s participation in international bodies, strengthening the Taiwan-US cooperative partnership, sharing core values of democracy and educational exchanges, among other issues.
Tsai said that she looks forward to meeting Craft in Taiwan in the near future. Tsai said Taiwan will continue to let the world know that it is a force for good and an important partner that is capable and determined to contribute to the international community.
“We will keep pushing for our participation in the United Nations and UN-affiliated meetings and events. And I hope that the United States will continue to support our efforts,” she said.
Craft tweeted after the meeting that Taiwan “is a model for the world, as demonstrated by its success in fighting Covid-19 and all that Taiwan has to offer in the fields of health, technology & cutting-edge science.” “Unfortunately, Taiwan is unable to share those successes in [UN] venues, including the World Health Assembly, as a result of PRC [People’s Republic of China] obstruction,” Craft continued. David Feith, deputy US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs was also at the online conference, according to Chang.
Craft’s planned trip to Taiwan has been sharply criticized by Beijing. Taiwan has had an independent government since 1949, but China considers the island part of its territory and blocks its participation in international bodies, such as the UN and World Health Organization.
Trump was a harsh critic of Beijing and US-China relations soured during his term in office. It is not yet clear what line Biden will take with the Chinese government on a range of issues, including Taiwan.
Taipei
Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen met online on Thursday with US Ambassador to the UN Kelly Craft, a display of collaborative partnership in the dying days of the administration of President Donald Trump that provoked predictable outrage in Beijing.
China condemned the talks, repeating its stance that it opposes all official contacts between Washington and Taiwan, which Beijing views as a breakaway province that will one day be part of the country again.
“There is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian, warning that “the US side will certainly pay heavily for its wrong decisions and wrong actions.”
The video conference was conducted one day after the cancellation of Craft’s planned visit to Taiwan, originally set for Wednesday to Friday this week. The US State Department on Wednesday cancelled all senior-level overseas travel originally set before the transition to the new administration of President-elect Joe Biden, also affecting Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s planned trip to Belgium.
In Taipei, Presidential Office spokesperson Xavier Chang said in a statement that in the video conference, both sides discussed issues including Taiwan’s participation in international bodies, strengthening the Taiwan-US cooperative partnership, sharing core values of democracy and educational exchanges, among other issues.
Tsai said that she looks forward to meeting Craft in Taiwan in the near future. Tsai said Taiwan will continue to let the world know that it is a force for good and an important partner that is capable and determined to contribute to the international community.
“We will keep pushing for our participation in the United Nations and UN-affiliated meetings and events. And I hope that the United States will continue to support our efforts,” she said.
Craft tweeted after the meeting that Taiwan “is a model for the world, as demonstrated by its success in fighting Covid-19 and all that Taiwan has to offer in the fields of health, technology & cutting-edge science.” “Unfortunately, Taiwan is unable to share those successes in [UN] venues, including the World Health Assembly, as a result of PRC [People’s Republic of China] obstruction,” Craft continued. David Feith, deputy US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs was also at the online conference, according to Chang.
Craft’s planned trip to Taiwan has been sharply criticized by Beijing. Taiwan has had an independent government since 1949, but China considers the island part of its territory and blocks its participation in international bodies, such as the UN and World Health Organization.
Trump was a harsh critic of Beijing and US-China relations soured during his term in office. It is not yet clear what line Biden will take with the Chinese government on a range of issues, including Taiwan.
