Taiwan appears to have played a limited role in the seventh annual US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Washington this week.
Sources say that the US did not even raise the subject during closed-door talks.
However, Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi (楊潔篪) said in his publicly released closing remarks that China had “reaffirmed its principled positions on Taiwan.”
He said that China had stressed the need for the US to respect and accommodate the interests and concerns of China and “handle differences and sensitive issues with caution.”
Yang said that it was important for the US to respect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and respect the development path chosen by Chinese.
Both sides said that the two days of dialogue were aimed at paving the way for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) visit to the US in September and sources said that Taiwan was certain to be on that agenda. Some Washington-based China experts expect that Taiwan’s upcoming presidential election, its likely outcome and impact, is to be raised by Xi.
Following the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, both sides also praised the US visit earlier this month of China’s Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, General Fan Changlong (范長龍).
It is understood that during his visit, Fan discussed Taiwan and urged the US to follow the “one China” policy and not to encourage moves toward Taiwanese independence. He also protested US arms sales to Taiwan, but said they would not result in a break in military-to-military relationships between the US and China.
Yang said that he and US Secretary of State John Kerry had “thorough discussions” on how to build a new model of major country relations, deepen practical cooperation, enhance China-US cooperation in the Asia Pacific, handle regional hotspots and global challenges and manage differences “in a constructive fashion.”
However, the Wall Street Journal reported that the meetings began under a cloud of “mistrust and acrimony” arising from tension over security in cyberspace and at sea.
“Top US officials issued stern admonitions about China’s behavior in cyberspace, warning it could threaten one of the most important geopolitical relationships in the world,” the newspaper said.
US Vice President Joe Biden warned China to keep international waterways open for trade and voiced concerns about China’s reclamation work in the South China Sea.
As the talks opened, Biden said: “Responsible countries adhere to international law and work together to keep international sea lanes open for unimpaired commerce. The notion of sea lanes being open and protected is even more crucial today than any time in human history, because of the interconnectedness of the world.”
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