ALBAWABA - China reiterated its warning to the United States against political proximity with Taiwan.
"The Taiwan question is the core interest of China, the bedrock of the political foundation of China-U.S. relations and the first redline that must not be crossed in China-U.S. relations," China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang said in his debut media briefing.https://t.co/jy2wGDY9gt
— Nikkei Asia (@NikkeiAsia) March 7, 2023
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said that the island is a red line for his country that Washington should not cross, noting that resolving the Taiwan issue is China's prerogative.
He reaffirmed that no country has the right to interfere in the issue.
被问到台湾问题，外交部部长秦刚当场拿出宪法！
— 田字格 (@tianzige4) March 7, 2023
Asked about the Taiwan issue, Foreign Minister Qin Gang read out the Constitution on the spot: It is the sacred duty of all Chinese people, including Taiwan compatriots, to accomplish the great cause of reunifying the motherland. pic.twitter.com/9lSxAKIbRA
The Chinese minister's remarks came in the wake of rising tension between the two countries in view of Washington's public support for the island.
Pelosi's visit to Taiwan raised tension
Escalations between Washington and Beijing intensified last year with a visit by former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, the first of its kind by a senior U.S. official to the island in decades.
FM Qin Gang’s strongest press conference remarks on the Taiwan question is a very powerful statement that should be much discussed in Asia and beyond, said @mahoneyshanghai pic.twitter.com/nK96keXjLA
— China Says (@China_says) March 7, 2023
The current U.S. House Speaker, Kevin McCarthy, announced that he could visit the island without any approval from Beijing.
In the midst of his speech, the Chinese Foreign Minister stressed that his country reserves all options for necessary measures to be undertaken to reunify the island China.
Taiwan has been divided from China since the 1949 civil war. Although the Chinese Communist Party has not controlled the island since, China considers it as part of its territory and insists it cannot give it up in any way.
