The US is encouraging Taiawn and China to discuss and resolve their differences over the “one China” policy.
US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday called for cross-strait dialogue on the issue after diplomatic discussions with Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅).
A transcript of remarks made during a press conference in Beijing following the talks was issued by the Department of State in Washington.
“Let me just say with respect to one of the issues that the foreign minister raised on Taiwan, that since they’ve [Taiwan] just had an election and a new party has won, the United States does reaffirm the three communiques, which have been the basis of our policy,” Kerry said. “We remain committed to a ‘one China’ policy, but we encourage cross-strait dialogue for resolution of that issue.”
According to the US transcript, Wang said that he had conducted a “candid and in-depth” exchange of views with Kerry and that it had increased mutual understanding.
“I emphasized that Taiwan is the core issue affecting the China-US relationship,” Wang said. “No matter how the situation in Taiwan will evolve, there has been and there will be no change to the basic fact that the mainland and Taiwan belong to one and the same China.”
“The US side should keep its commitment to the ‘one China’ policy, continue to abide by the three Sino-American joint communiques and oppose Taiwan independence and take concrete actions to support the peaceful development of cross-strait relations,” he said.
Kerry said he was looking forward to upcoming meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi (楊潔篪).
While he gave no details, Taiwan is also likely to be discussed at those meetings.
According to the transcript, Kerry said the US and China were determined to cooperate where they could and to deal with differences constructively.
“That determination continues to drive our approach on issues and we have seen it play out as we have made progress and discussed issues like cybersecurity, climate change, wildlife trafficking, implementing the Joint Plan of Action on Iran, the Ebola crisis and Afghanistan,” he said.
Kerry said that when China and the US were able to cooperate, they were better able to work toward a shared goal and accomplish more for everybody.
Wang said that South China Sea islands had historically belonged to China and that China had a right to protect its own territorial sovereignty and lawful and legitimate maritime rights and interests.
“At the same time, China is committed to upholding peace and stability in the South China Sea,” he said.
Wang said that China was committed to managing differences through dialogue and wanted to reach peaceful settlement of the disputes through negotiation.
Kerry said that he had stressed the importance of finding common ground among the claimants in the South China Sea and avoiding a destabilizing cycle of mistrust or escalation.
Wang said that China had given a commitment not to engage in militarization.
“On the islands and the reefs stationed by China, we have built up quite a few civilian installations and facilities for self-defense, but the international law has given all sovereign countries the right of self-protection,” Wang said.
“If one equates such a right to militarization, then the South China Sea was militarized long ago and China was not the first party that started militarization,” he added.
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