Taiwanese soldiers place Taiwan’s national flags at the cemetery during the 66th anniversary of the Kinmen artillery battle in Kinmen on August 23, 2024. Agence France-Presse
BEIJING — China plans to voice “serious concerns” on Taiwan and other security issues in upcoming talks with the United States, state media said Sunday.
“China will focus on expressing serious concerns, clarifying its firm stance, and making stern demands regarding the Taiwan issue, development rights, and China’s strategic security,” state broadcaster CCTV reported, citing a senior foreign ministry official.
US national security advisor Jake Sullivan is due to visit Beijing from August 27 to 29, where he will meet with China’s foreign minister Wang Yi in a bid to manage tensions ahead of US elections in November.
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This will be the first visit by a US national security advisor to China since 2016, although other senior officials including Secretary of State Antony Blinken have visited over the past two years.
“The Taiwan issue is the first insurmountable red line in US-China relations, and ‘Taiwan independence’ is the greatest risk to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” CCTV said.
“The US must adhere to the one-China principle and the three US-China joint communiqués, and fulfil its commitment to not support ‘Taiwan independence'”, it said.
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Beijing and Washington have clashed in recent years over the self-ruled island of Taiwan and other flashpoint issues such as human rights, trade, and the South China Sea.
Relations have stabilised somewhat since Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping met in San Francisco in November for talks that both sides described as a qualified success.
A visit to Taiwan by then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2022 triggered China’s biggest ever military exercises around the island, involving warships, missiles and fighter jets.