Islam Times - China Warns US over Potential Contacts with Taiwan

Islam Times - China threatened the US on Tuesday no to make military contacts with Taiwan as the island-nation's defense minister is set to make brief transit in New York and Los Angeles en route to and from Central American allies.

"China consistently insists on using the 'one China' principle in handling the issue of the Taiwan region's exchanges, and firmly opposes country's with which China has established relations conducting any type of official contact or military exchanges with Taiwan," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters in Beijing during a press briefing on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

"Our position is clear and consistent. I believe the United States is extremely clear on this," she said.

Taiwan's Defense Minister Feng Shih-kuan would make brief visits to New York and Los Angeles on his Aug. 23-Sept. 8 trip, and had nothing else on his agenda in the United States, the ministry said.

The US is the self-ruled island territory's main source of weapons and Taiwan has been pressing for sales of more advanced equipment to deal with the rapidly modernizing military of China, which claims Taiwan as its own.

According to Reuters, Taiwan presidents and other senior officials frequently stop over in the US while visiting Taiwan's dwindling number of allies in Latin America and the Caribbean, always drawing China's ire.

Taiwan now only has official diplomatic ties with 20 countries. Panama dropped its diplomatic ties with Taiwan to instead recognise China in June. China says Taiwan is merely a province with no right to diplomatic ties with other countries.

The United States switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979, acknowledging that China takes the position that there is “one China” and Taiwan is part of it. But the United States is also duty-bound by legislation to help the island defend itself.