Beijing has condemned statements from London and Washington about arming Taiwan, pointing out that such talk fuels separatism on the disputed island and goes contrary to their recognition of China. UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken have both come out in support of sending weapons to Taiwan this week.
“We deplore and reject Secretary Blinken’s statement at a congressional hearing on April 26 that the administration is determined to make sure that Taiwan has all necessary means to defend itself against any potential aggression,” Xie Yongjun, head of the information department at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, tweeted on Thursday in reference to multiple outlets just noticing Blinken’s statement.
Xie was echoing the words of MFA spokesman Wang Wenbin from the news briefing on Wednesday. Wang told reporters that US statements clash with their recognition of Beijing and the One China policy, and encourage Taiwanese separatists by selling weapons to the island.
“The US admits that Taiwan is part of China, but keeps talking about the mainland’s potential ‘aggression’ of Taiwan. Isn’t this self-contradictory since a country can not ‘invade’ part of its own territory?” said Wang.