Beijing:

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Washington needs to approach the issue of Taiwan “prudently”, the ministry in Beijing said, as the pair held their first talks since Donald Trump took office.

“We will never allow Taiwan to be separated from China,” Wang said, adding that Washington “must not betray its promise” to abide by the one-China policy, according to a readout of their telephone conversation provided by his ministry. 

While Beijing had “no intention of surpassing or replacing anyone”, it maintained its “legitimate right to development”, he said. 

China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has threatened to use force to bring the self-ruled island under its control. 

The United States is a longtime supporter of Taiwan and its largest supplier of weapons, but does not formally recognise it diplomatically.

The State Department has not yet commented on the Wang-Rubio talks. 

But in his Senate confirmation hearing last week, Rubio said that a “dangerous” China had cheated its way to superpower status and vowed to ramp up support to deter any invasion of Taiwan.

In their call, Wang told Rubio that the world’s top two economies should work to find “the right way to get along in the new era” — presumably referring to Trump’s return to the US presidency. 

The Chinese minister said the pair should follow the lead of China’s Xi Jinping and Trump in setting the tone for relations at a “new important juncture,” the ministry said.

Both sides should “maintain communication, manage differences, expand cooperation, and promote the stable, healthy and sustainable development of China-US relations, finding the right way for China and the United States to get along in the new era”, the readout quoted Wang as saying. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Beijing:

China said Sunday it “firmly opposed” US President Joe Biden’s approval of $571.3 million in defence assistance for Taiwan.

The White House said Friday that Biden had authorised the drawdown “of up to $571.3 million in defence articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training, to provide assistance to Taiwan”.

The White House statement did not provide details of the military assistance package, which comes less than three months after one worth $567 million was authorised.

“This move gravely infringes on China’s sovereignty and security interests,” Beijing’s foreign ministry said in a statement, adding it “firmly opposes this action”.

China “has lodged stern representations with the US at the earliest opportunity”, it said.

The country’s Taiwan Affairs Office said such actions by the US “contradict its leaders’ serious commitments” to not supporting “Taiwan independence”.

“We demand that the US immediately cease arming Taiwan and handle the Taiwan issue with the utmost caution,” said spokeswoman Zhu Fenglian, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

The United States does not officially recognise Taiwan diplomatically, but it is the self-ruled island’s strategic ally and largest supplier of weapons.

China, which has ramped up political and military pressure on Taiwan in recent years, has repeatedly called for Washington to cease sending arms and assistance to the island, which it claims as part of its territory.

Taiwan received 38 advanced Abrams battle tanks from the United States this week — reportedly its first new tanks in 30 years.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)