Firmly Reminds US Of Taiwan's Independence, Chinese Foreign Minister: Taiwan Has No Other Way Than Reunification!

Menlu China Wang Yi. (Wikimedia Commons/Tasnim News Agency/Erfan Kouchari)

JAKARTA - The senior diplomat who is also China's State Counselor and Foreign Minister warned the United States firmly that support for Taiwan's independence forces poses a risk to Uncle Sam's country.

The United States risks paying an "irresistible price" for its actions on Taiwan, Wang Yi said in an interview with state media on Thursday.

China claims democratically-ruled Taiwan as its own territory, increasing military and diplomatic pressure to assert its claim to sovereignty over the past two years, sparking anger in Taipei and alarm in Washington.

By pushing the 'Taiwan independence forces, the United States is not only putting Taiwan into a very dangerous situation, but it is also exposing the United States to an unbearable price, Wang stressed.

Taiwan has emerged as a key factor in strained relations between China and the United States, the island's most important international backer and arms supplier despite no formal diplomatic ties.

Taiwan says it is an independent country, vowing to defend its freedoms and democracy. Meanwhile, China regularly describes the island as the most sensitive issue in its relations with the United States.

"Taiwan has no other way but reunification with the mainland", Wang said, citing Reuters on December 30.

While it recognizes only one China, the United States is required by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself and has long followed a policy of "strategic ambiguity" about whether to intervene militarily to protect Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack.