China Asks US To Stop Wrong Signals That Support Taiwan's Independence

JAKARTA - Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning asked the United States (US) to stop sending wrong signals that could be interpreted as supporting Taiwan's independence.

"The US needs to stop official contact with Taiwan, stop sending the wrong signal to the 'Taiwan independence group' support and refrain from interfering in elections in Taiwan in any form," Mao Ning said when delivering a statement to the media in Beijing., Wednesday, January 10.

This was conveyed by Mao Ning in response to a meeting between US House Speaker Mike Johnson and Taiwan's "de facto" Ambassador to the US Alexander Yui at the Capitol Building, USA on Tuesday (9/1).

"There is only one China in the world. Taiwan is an integral part of China, so we firmly oppose the US in all forms of official contact with Taiwan," continued Mao Ning.

Mao Ning emphasized that the US needs to seriously adhere to the principles of "one China" and the provisions of the three communicants with China-US.

"The US must deal with issues related to Taiwan wisely and appropriately. The efforts of the DPP (Democratic Progressive Party) authorities to ask for support from the US and other countries for 'Taiwan independence' will not work," said Mao Ning.

Usai pertemuan antara Mike Johnson dan Alexander Yui, diberitakan bahwa Johnson mengungkapkan hubungan AS-Taiwan yang "kuat" dan menekankan pentingnya hubungan militer antara kedua negara demi kepentingan AS dan seluruh dunia.

Meanwhile, Yui also expressed the same view as Johnson, namely calling AS-Taiwan's close relationship with the long-term commitment to improving Taiwan's security, maintaining a democratic system and promoting bilateral economic partnerships.

The US is known to support and supply Taiwan's most important weapons to Taiwan despite its formal diplomatic ties to the island.

Taiwan is currently preparing to hold a presidential election in mid-January 2024.

There are four candidates who will compete, namely Taiwanese Deputy Leader William Lai Ching-te as a candidate from the DPP, New Taipei Mayor Citu Hou Yu-ih as a representative of Kuomitang (KMT), Ko Wen-je from the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) and independent candidate Terry Gou.

Under the leadership of Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) since 2016, Taiwan has taken a strong stance against Beijing and the principle of "One China" which says that Taiwan is territory under Beijing's rule.

The strong DPP's approach to Taiwan's issue has resulted in the heated atmosphere in the Taiwan Strait.

But in November 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping flew to the United States and held a summit with his team, Joe Biden, in an effort to ease tensions.