China urged the United States on Thursday to “refrain from interfering” in elections in Taiwan, condemning official visits between the island and the US after Washington said it would send a delegation there after this week’s election.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said Washington should “refrain from interfering in elections in the Taiwan region in any form so as not to seriously damage China-US relations.” She added, following Washington’s announcing plans to send an “unofficial” delegation to Taiwan after a crucial election on the island:
China always firmly opposes any form of official exchanges between the US and Taiwan. There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China.
China said it was willing to develop a “healthy and stable” military relationship “on the basis of equality and respect.” It urged the US to reduce its military presence and “provocation” in the South China Sea, a strategically important waterway that China claims virtually in its entirety, and to “stop supporting provocative actions” by certain countries, without identifying them.
President Joe Biden and Chinese Xi Jinping agreed to resume military ties at a meeting in San Francisco in November, their first meeting in a year. China had cut off military communications in 2022 after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., visited Taiwan over its objections.
