NEW DELHI: China on Tuesday warned India against launching talks with Taiwan on trade saying such a move would violate Chinese policy that New Delhi has supported so far.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian also criticized a meeting between Tibetan leader Lobsang Sangay and newly appointed US coordinator for Tibet Robert Destro, describing Destro’s appointment as interference in the internal affairs of China.
On reports of growing support in India for forging stronger ties with Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province, Zhao said that “there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory.”
“The one-China principle is the universal consensus of the international community, including India, and it is also the political basis for China to develop relations with any country. China firmly opposes any form of official exchange between any country that has diplomatic ties with Taiwan and the signing of any official agreement. The Indian side should strictly abide by the one-China principle and handle the Taiwan issue prudently and properly, “he said.
The comments come in the context of tensions between India and China along their common border in Ladakh. Many rounds of talks between the two sides have failed to resolve the matter. Moods have been high since May, when India first noticed intrusions into its territory by Chinese troops.
When asked about the meeting between Sangay, who heads the Central Tibetan Authority in exile in India, and Destro at the US State Department in Washington on Friday, Zhao said: “The affairs of Tibet are purely internal affairs of China and external forces are not allowed to interfere. . “
“The establishment of the so-called ‘Special Coordinator for Tibetan Affairs’ by the United States was entirely political manipulation and aimed at interfering in China’s internal affairs and undermining the development and stability of Tibet. China has always resolutely opposed this and never acknowledged it, and has presented solemn representations to the United States, “Zhao said.
He also went on to describe the “so-called ‘Tibetan government in exile'” as a “separatist political organization” that is “organized and has a program that seeks in vain to achieve the ‘independence of Tibet.’
“It completely violates the Chinese Constitution and laws and has not been recognized by any country in the world. As a leader, Lobsang Sangay is a complete anti-China separatist. China strongly opposes the separatist anti-China activities of Lobsang Sangay in any country in any capacity and in any name, and strongly opposes any contact between officials of any country in any form, “Zhao added.
He also demanded that the United States “immediately stop using Tibet-related issues to interfere in China’s internal affairs and undermine the development and stability of Tibet, and stop supporting the forces of ‘Tibetan independence’ in their separatist activities against China. China will take all necessary measures to defend its own interests. “
Destro’s appointment last week was seen as a move that would exacerbate existing tensions between the United States and China. Ties between the United States and China have been strained by trade problems, as well as China’s role in seemingly allowing the Covid-19 pandemic to spread around the world, including the United States, which is now one of the largest. affected by the pandemic. US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have often referred to the coronavirus as the “China virus” or the “Wuhan virus”, enraging Beijing. Then there are frictions over China’s aggressive behavior in the South China Sea and the East China Sea. Pompeo has also referred to China’s aggression against India in Ladakh, suggesting that it fit a pattern that showed Beijing’s aggression.
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