China reacted on Sunday to an unprecedented meeting between officials from the US and Taiwan. The top US and Taiwanese diplomats in France held talks on Friday in a meeting that was publicized by the US Embassy.
Brian Aggeler, the US Chargé d’Affaires in France, met with Taiwan representative Wu Chih-chung for lunch. Taiwanese media said it was the first such meeting between US and Taiwanese officials in the country since 1979, when Washington severed diplomatic relations with Taipei.
The meeting came after the Biden administration announced a new policy to “encourage” more contacts between US and Taiwanese officials. Boosting ties with Taipei is part of President Biden’s strategy to counter China, following in the footsteps of the Trump administration.
Taiwan’s representative Wu said relations have improved thanks to former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and now thanks to Biden’s top diplomat, Antony Blinken. “The US, from Mike Pompeo to Antony Blinken, has shown that it will no longer accept the threatening behavior that China has used in the past,” he said.
In a statement on Sunday, the Chinese Embassy in France denounced the meeting. “Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory, and the government of the People’s Republic of China is the only legal government representing all of China. This is a fact recognized by the entire international community and a fundamental norm in international relations,” the statement said.
The Chinese Embassy said the US should cease these types of meetings and “stop using the Taiwan question to undermine China-US relations.”
China needs to tackle this head on.