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BEIJING: China will respond to the informed visit of a US Navy admiral to Taiwan and strongly opposes any military relationship between Taipei and Washington, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday (November 23).
A two-star Navy admiral who oversees US military intelligence in the Asia-Pacific region has paid an unannounced visit to Taiwan, two sources told Reuters on Sunday.
Neither Taiwan nor the United States have officially confirmed the trip.
READ: US Navy Admiral Pays Unannounced Visit to Taiwan, Sources Say
The Trump administration has increased support for Taiwan, including with new arms sales, alarming China, which views the democratic island as one of its provinces without the right to state-to-state ties.
In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said China “resolutely opposes” any form of exchange between US and Taiwanese officials or between the two with military relations.
China urges the United States to fully acknowledge the extreme sensitivity of the Taiwan issue, Zhao told a news conference.
“The Chinese side, as the situation develops, will give a legitimate and necessary response,” he said, without elaborating.
China reacted with fury when US Health Secretary Alex Azar arrived in Taipei in August, followed by US Under Secretary of State Keith Krach in September, sending fighter jets close to the island each time.
During a visit to Manila, White House National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien underscored the United States’ commitment to Taiwan, saying that as democracies, they have much in common.
“I cannot imagine anything that would cause a greater reaction against China from the entire world if they tried to use military force to coerce Taiwan,” he said. “The United States is with its friends in Taipei. We will continue to be there.”
In Beijing, Zhao also expressed his displeasure at the signing of a memorandum of understanding on economic exchanges after a meeting between Taiwanese and US officials in Washington.
China has already presented “tough representations” with the United States, which should stop having such interactions with Taiwan, he added.
