CHINESE Consul-General in Cebu Jia Li assures that China will uphold ‘peaceful reunification’ with Taiwan while blaming the United States and its allies for “inciting” tension and division in the contested region.
In a media briefing explaining the stand of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on the issue of rising tension, Li assured China will not use force or violence but instead promote peaceful and diplomatic measures in the re-unification and rejuvenation of mainland China and Taiwan.
Li gave the assurance when asked about Filipinos working in Taiwan who are likely be trapped in the rising conflict.
He explained that by history and blood, Taiwanese people are Chinese and the use of force is out of the table in settling the decades-long conflict.
“The cause of this tension, this problem is not China, but US, using Taiwan as a card to control China. We have these countermeasures in place to stop outside forces of Taiwan and not target Taiwan,” Li said.
Following last week’s visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, the Chinese Navy, Army, and Airforce showed its force with military drills and missile strikes across the six zones surrounding Taiwan.
Five of the missiles fired by China landed in Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone off an island far south of Japan’s main islands.Li described the recently conducted military exercises as legitimate and in line with China’s domestic Laws and International practices.
“This is just a political farce, and a dangerous, malicious provocation. Speaker Pelosi made this provocative visit in disregard of China’s warning,” Li said.
Li said Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan infringed on the PRC’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, violated the One-China Policy and the three China-US joint communiques, affected the political foundation of China-US relations, and undermined the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
“The incident is also a lesson, revealing to the world, US motives to contain China with Taiwan and the intention of the Taiwan authorities to seek American support for independence,” Li added.
Li said China has the highest regard for the Philippine Government for respecting the ‘One China Policy’.
Status quo
Li blamed the US and the “Taiwan independence” separatist forces for changing the status quo.
“Over the years, the US has been colluding with the Taiwan authorities, and elevating its substantive relations with Taiwan,” Li said in a statement.
China claimed the US sold a large number of weapons to Taiwan emboldening separatist forces.
Li urged the US Government, ‘do not act recklessly and stop going further down on the doomed path,’ that the US must give up using Taiwan to contain China.
“Play no games but return to the one-China principle and the three joint communiques, and do the right things and take concrete steps to facilitate the steady development of China-US relations” Li said in a statement.