The US on Thursday reiterated that its “one China” policy is guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the Three Joint Communiques and the “six assurances.”
At a press briefing, US Department of State spokesman Ned Price said that is what US President Joe Biden meant when he said earlier this week that the US and China have agreed to abide by the “Taiwan agreement.”
Price said that Biden and the department have been “clear and consistent that our policy for some four decades now that ... our ‘one China’ policy has been guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, by the Three Joint Communiques, and the ‘six assurances’ provided to Taipei.”
Photo: Reuters
“Those documents form the basis of our approach to Taiwan and to cross-strait relations,” he said, in response to reporters’ questions about Biden’s statement.
On Tuesday, Biden commented for the first time on China’s military sorties near Taiwan, saying that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) should stick to the “Taiwan agreement.”
“I’ve spoken with Xi about Taiwan. We agree ... we will abide by the Taiwan agreement,” Biden told reporters at the White House, when asked about China’s military maneuvers.
“That’s where we are, and we made it clear that I don’t think he should be doing anything other than abiding by the agreement,” Biden said, without specifying the agreement he was referring to.
Since the beginning of the month, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has sent record numbers of military aircraft into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, actions that have been interpreted by Taiwan as a provocation and an attempt at intimidation.
From Friday last week to Tuesday, 150 PLA warplanes entered the southwestern part of the zone, Ministry of National Defense data showed.
Price said the US is concerned about China’s provocative military actions near Taiwan.
“We strongly urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic and economic pressure, and coercion against Taiwan,” he said.
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