News / China

US obligated to practice One China policy: Beijing

Monday, 23 January 2017 10:44 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 23 January 2017 10:45 AM ]

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying

China says the new United States administration has an “obligation” to honor the promise of previous US governments to recognize Chinese sovereignty over Taiwan, a practice known as the “One China” policy.

“I want to emphasize [that] the One China principle is the political foundation of the development of China-US relations,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Monday.

Washington has been practicing the so-called One China policy since 1979. In pre-inauguration remarks, however, US President Donald Trump, who took over on January 20, has signaled that his administration may seek concessions from Beijing in return for the US’s recognition of one China.

Chinese officials have said emphatically that matters of sovereignty are “non-negotiable.” Beijing has also repeatedly warned that the US risked damaging bilateral ties with China if it dropped the “One China” policy.

“We urge the new administration to fully understand the high sensitivity of the Taiwan issue and to continue pursuing the one China policy," said Hua, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, in her Monday remarks.
“Any US government has the obligation to stand by the clear promise made by the US successive two-party governments and continue to adhere to the One China policy,” she said.

China and Taiwan are physically separated by the Taiwan Strait in the Western Pacific Ocean. They split politically following the 1927-1950 Chinese Civil War, and there have been no formal cross-strait diplomatic relations ever since.

Beijing sees Taiwan as a breakaway region that will have to eventually rejoin mainland China.

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