Hey everyone! 🌍 There is some serious diplomatic movement happening right now. China's Ministry of National Defense just dropped a clear message to the United States: it is time to be extremely careful when it comes to the Taiwan question. 💬
During a press briefing this Thursday, spokesperson Jiang Bin addressed some recent headlines. The tea? ☕ The US has paused a massive $14-billion arms sale to the Taiwan region, but at the same time, they have included $1 billion in the so-called "Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative" within its National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027. Talk about mixed signals! 😵💫
China's stance is firm. Jiang made it crystal clear that China's opposition to US arms sales to the Taiwan region is "consistent and clear." Essentially, the ministry is reminding the US to stick to the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiques—especially the one from August 17. 📜
For those who need a quick refresher, the August 17 Communique signed in 1982 saw the US government declare it "does not seek to carry out a long-term policy of arms sales to Taiwan," and that it intended to gradually reduce these sales over time to reach a final resolution. 📉
Ultimately, China is urging the US to honor the commitments and statements it has made. The goal? To take concrete actions that safeguard the stable, sound, and sustainable development of China-US relations and military-to-military ties. In a world that's more connected than ever, keeping things stable is definitely the move! ✨
Reference(s):
China urges utmost prudence in US approach to Taiwan question
cgtn.com
