The ‍drills are called “Just Mission 2025” and will focus on naval and airforce ⁠combat readiness and ​controlling key ports ⁠and other areas. File.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

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.)

Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te waves with the Taiwanese flag during a flag-raising ceremony in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AP

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te pledged to strengthen the island’s defences in the face of escalating Chinese threats, saying in a New Year’s address on Wednesday that Taiwan was a crucial part of the “line of defense of democracy” globally.

China claims Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy, is part of its territory and has vowed to annex the island by force if necessary.

“Authoritarian countries such as China, Russia, North Korea and Iran are still collaborating to threaten the international order that is based on rules. This has severely influenced the Indo-Pacific region and the world’s peace and stability,” Mr. Lai said in his address.

Beijing has used a variety of tactics in recent years to increase pressure on Taiwan, from sending warships and fighter jets toward the island on a near-daily basis to pressuring Taiwan’s diplomatic allies to switch their recognition to China.

In response, Taiwan has been reforming its military and buying weapons from the United States, its biggest unofficial ally.

“Taiwan must be prepared for danger in times of peace. It must keep increasing the national defence budget to strengthen its defense capabilities in order to show the determination to defend the country. Every single person has the duty to protect Taiwan’s democracy and security,” Mr. Lai said.

Mr. Lai also issued a warning about the need to uphold democracy domestically, addressing recent political controversies in Taiwan.

The Kuomingtang-led opposition passed three bills last month after legislators got into a physical tussle over them. The bills are designed to make recall votes for politicians more difficult and change the budget allocation for the central government. Critics said another of the bills would paralyze the Constitutional Court.

Mr. Lai’s party has said the bills, which still need to be accepted by the executive branch, are a threat to democracy.

“Domestic competition among political parties is a part of democracy. But domestic political disputes must be resolved democratically, within the constitutional system. This is the only way democracy can continue to grow,” Mr. Lai said.

The American and Chinese flags wave at Genting Snow Park, Feb. 2, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China.
| Photo Credit: AP

The Chinese government placed sanctions on seven companies on Friday in response to recent U.S. announcements of military sales and aid to Taiwan, the self-governing island that China claims as part of its territory.

The sanctions also come in response to the recent approval of the U.S. government’s annual defence spending bill, which a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said “includes multiple negative sections on China.”

China objects to American military assistance for Taiwan and often imposes sanctions on related companies after a sale or aid package is announced. The sanctions generally have a limited impact, because American defense companies don’t sell arms or other military goods to China. The U.S. is the main supplier of weapons to Taiwan for its defense.

The seven companies being sanctioned are Insitu Inc., Hudson Technologies Co., Saronic Technologies, Inc., Raytheon Canada, Raytheon Australia, Aerkomm Inc. and Oceaneering International Inc., the Foreign Ministry statement said. It said that “relevant senior executives” of the companies are also sanctioned, without naming any.

Any assets they have in China will be frozen, and organizations and individuals in China are prohibited from engaging in any activity with them, it said.

U.S. President Joe Biden last week authorized up to $571 million in Defense Department material and services and military education and training for Taiwan. Separately, the Defense Department announced that $295 million in military sales had been approved.

The U.S. defence bill boosts military spending to $895 billion and directs resources toward a more confrontational approach to China. It establishes a fund that could be used to send military resources to Taiwan in much the same way that the U.S. has backed Ukraine. It also expands a ban on U.S. military purchases of Chinese products ranging from drone technology to garlic for military commissaries.

Zhang Xiaogang, a Chinese Defence Ministry spokesperson, said earlier this week that the U.S. is hyping up the “so-called” threat from China to justify increased military spending.

“U.S. military spending has topped the world and keeps increasing every year,” he said at a press conference. “This fully exposes the belligerent nature of the U.S. and its obsession with hegemony and expansion.”

The Foreign Ministry statement said the U.S. moves violate agreements between the two countries on Taiwan, interfere in China’s domestic affairs and undermine the nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Taiwan’s government said earlier this month that China had sent dozens of ships into nearby seas to practice a blockade of the island, a move that Taiwan said undermined peace and stability and disrupted international shipping and trade. China has not confirmed or commented on the reported military activity.

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.)

Beijing considers democratically governed Taiwan its own territory, a claim the government in Taipei rejects. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

China criticised new U.S. military aid to Taiwan on Sunday (December 22, 2024), saying the $571 million package seriously violates the “one China principle” and provisions of joint communiques between China and the U.S.

 Explained | Why is Taiwan caught between U.S. and China?

China will take “all necessary measures” to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, calling Taiwan “a red line that must not be crossed” in China-U.S. relations, according to a statement released by the Ministry.

Beijing considers democratically governed Taiwan its own territory, a claim the government in Taipei rejects.

This picture taken and released by Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA) on December 4, 2024 shows Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te speaking during a visit at Nauti Primary School in Funafuti, Tuvalu.
| Photo Credit: AFP

China warned Taiwan on Friday that relying on the United States to help it seek independence “will inevitably hit a wall”, as Beijing took aim at a Pacific tour by the self-ruled island’s President Lai Ching-te this week.

Mr. Lai’s trip, which has included two stops on U.S. soil, has drawn a barrage of criticism from China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory and opposes any international recognition of the island.

Mr. Lai this week held a phone call with U.S. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, which also angered Beijing.

“Seeking independence with the help of the United States will inevitably hit a wall, and using Taiwan to contain China is doomed to fail,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters on Friday.

He added that China has “lodged solemn representations” with Washington and urged it to “stop emptying and gutting the one-China principle”.

Asked about Mr. Lai’s comment on Friday that he was “confident” that Taiwan would deepen cooperation with incoming U.S. President Donald Trump, Mr. Lin warned the United States to “cease meddling in Taiwan-related affairs”.

During a Friday press conference, Mr. Lai also urged democracies to be “more united” to counter growing authoritarianism.

He also insisted that Taiwan and China were “not subordinate to each other”.

Asked to respond to the latter, Lin said that “separatist activities… are the biggest threats to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait”.

“No matter what they say or do, they cannot change the objective fact that Taiwan is part of China, nor can they stop the historical trend that China… will inevitably reunify,” he added.

China employed a record 125 aircraft, as well as its Liaoning aircraft carrier and ships, in large-scale military exercises surrounding Taiwan and its outlying islands on Monday (October 14, 2024), simulating the sealing off of key ports in a move that underscores the tense situation in the Taiwan Strait, officials said.

China made clear it was to punish Taiwan’s President for rejecting Beijing’s claim of sovereignty over the self-governed island.

The drills came four days after Taiwan celebrated the founding of its Government on its National Day, when Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said in a speech that China has no right to represent Taiwan and declared his commitment to “resist annexation or encroachment.”

“This is a resolute punishment for Lai Ching-te’s continuous fabrication of ’Taiwan independence’ nonsense,” China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said in a statement.

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence said 90 of the aircraft, including warplanes, helicopters and drones, were spotted within Taiwan’s air defence identification zone. The single-day record counted aircraft from 5.02 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. Shipping traffic was operating as normal, the ministry said.

Taiwan remained defiant. “Our military will definitely deal with the threat from China appropriately,” Joseph Wu, secretary-general of Taiwan’s security council, said at a forum in Taipei, Taiwan’s capital. “Threatening other countries with force violates the basic spirit of the United Nations Charter to resolve disputes through peaceful means.”

Taiwan’s Presidential Office also called on China to “cease military provocations that undermine regional peace and stability and stop threatening Taiwan’s democracy and freedom.”

A map aired on China’s state broadcaster CCTV showed six large blocks encircling Taiwan indicating where the military drills were being held, along with circles drawn around Taiwan’s outlying islands.

Taiwan’s defence ministry said the six areas focused on key strategic locations around and on the island.

China deployed its Liaoning aircraft carrier for the drills, and CCTV showed a J-15 fighter jet taking off from the deck of the carrier.

China’s People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command Spokesperson Senior Captain Li Xi said Monday (October 14, 2024) evening that the drill was successfully completed.

Mr. Li said the navy, army air force and missile corps were all mobilised for the drills, which were an integrated operation. “This is a major warning to those who back Taiwan independence and a signifier of our determination to safeguard our national sovereignty,” Mr. Li said in a statement on the service’s public media channel.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a daily briefing that China did not consider relations with Taiwan a diplomatic issue, in keeping with its refusal to recognise Taiwan as a sovereign state.

“I can tell you that Taiwan independence is as incompatible with peace in the Taiwan Strait as fire with water. Provocation by the Taiwan independence forces will surely be met with countermeasures,” Mr. Mao said.

Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said it deployed warships to designated spots in the ocean to carry out surveillance and stand at ready. It also deployed mobile missile and radar groups on land to track the vessels at sea. It said as of Monday (October 14, 2024) morning, they had tracked 25 Chinese warplanes and seven warships and four Chinese government ships, though it did not specify what types of ships they were.

On the streets of Taipei, residents were undeterred. “I don’t worry, I don’t panic either, it doesn’t have any impact to me,” Chang Chia-rui said.

Another Taipei resident, Jeff Huang, said: “Taiwan is very stable now, and I am used to China’s military exercises. I have been threatened by this kind of threats since I was a child, and I am used to it.”

The U.S., Taiwan’s biggest unofficial ally, called China’s response to Lai’s speech unwarranted. “We call on (Beijing’s government) to act with restraint and to avoid any further actions that may undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the broader region,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.

China held similar large-scale exercises after Lai was inaugurated in May. Lai continues the eight-year rule of the Democratic Progressive Party that rejects China’s demand that it recognises Taiwan is a part of China.

China also held massive military exercises around Taiwan and simulated a blockade in 2022 after a visit to the island by Nancy Pelosi, who was then speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. China routinely states that Taiwan independence is a “dead end” and that annexation by Beijing is a historical inevitability. China’s military has increased its encircling of Taiwan’s skies and waters in the past few years, holding joint drills with its warships and fighter jets on a near-daily basis near the island.

Also, on Monday (October 14, 2024), China’s Taiwan Affairs Office announced it was sanctioning two Taiwanese individuals, Puma Shen and Robert Tsao, for promoting Taiwanese independence. Mr. Shen is the co-founder of the Kuma Academy, a nonprofit group that trains civilians on wartime readiness. Mr. Tsao donated $32.8 million to fund the academy’s training courses. Mr. Shen and Mr. Tsao are forbidden to travel to China, including Hong Kong.

Taiwan was a Japanese colony before being unified with China at the end of World War II. It split away in 1949 when Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists fled to the island as Mao Zedong’s Communists defeated them in a civil war and took power.

Zhang Youxia, Vice Chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission, second from right, holds a meeting with White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, second from left. during a meeting at the Bayi building in Beijing, on August 29, 2024
| Photo Credit: AP

United States National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met Thursday (August 29, 2024) with a top Chinese military official as the two countries strengthen communication in an effort to prevent differences over the South China Sea and Taiwan from spiralling into conflict.

The meeting came one day after the White House said that both countries would plan for a phone call between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden in the coming weeks.

Mr. Sullivan was wrapping up a three-day trip to China, his first as national security adviser and one aimed at stabilising bilateral relations to avoid conflict.

His main talks were held over the past day and a half with Wang Yi, the foreign minister and the ruling Communist Party’s top foreign policy official.

The meeting Thursday was with Gen. Zhang Youxia, one of two vice chairs of the Central Military Commission, an organisation that Xi personally heads. It was a rare meeting with a US official that came at a time when both sides are eager to keep relations on an even keel ahead of a change in the US presidency in January.

“Your request to meet with me shows the value you attach to military security and the relationship between our militaries,” Zhang told Sullivan in opening remarks.

A White House statement after the talks said the two had “recognised the progress in sustained, regular military-military communications over the past ten months” and noted the agreement announced Wednesday to hold a telephone call between commanders at the theatre-level in the near future.

China suspended communication between the two militaries and in a few other fields after a senior US lawmaker, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, visited Taiwan in August 2022. Talks were only gradually resumed more than a year later, after Xi and Biden met outside San Francisco in November.

A theatre-level call would be between Adm. Samuel Paparo, who heads the US Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii, and his Chinese counterpart, said Danny Russel, a vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute in New York.

“This theatre command-level dialogue is critical for crisis prevention but something the Chinese military has been resisting,” Russel said.

A White House statement after talks with Wang concluded Wednesday said both sides would keep lines of communication open, including planning for a “leader-level call” in the coming weeks. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Wang and Sullivan discussed “a new round of interactions between the two countries’ heads of state to take place in the near future.”

There was no indication whether the two leaders might meet in person before Biden leaves the Oval Office.