The United States is Taiwan’s main security ally, despite not diplomatically recognizing the island
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday asked the United States not to cross the “red line” in supporting Taiwan.
Xi’s appeal was made during a meeting with outgoing US President Joe Biden in Lima, Peru, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.
The “Taiwan issue, democracy and human rights”, as well as China’s political and economic system and development interests “are China’s four red lines that must not be called into question”, said Xi Jinping, quoted by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
“These are the most important guarantees and safety net for China-US relations,” Xi added, according to CCTV.
The Chinese leader also condemned the “separatist actions” of Taiwanese leaders, stating that they are “incompatible with peace and security” in the region.
Beijing claims Taiwan as part of Chinese territory and, in recent years, has intensified pressure, with air raids and military maneuvers around the island.
The United States is Taiwan’s main security ally, despite not diplomatically recognizing the island.
During the meeting with Joe Biden, Xi Jinping also said that Washington “should not intervene in bilateral disputes (…) and should not tolerate or support provocative actions” in the South China Sea, CCTV also reported.
Beijing claims sovereignty over nearly all uninhabited reefs and islets in the South China Sea for historical reasons, ignoring a 2016 international court ruling that such claims have no legal basis.
The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia have rival claims to this maritime area of great commercial and strategic importance.
The situation has worsened in recent months. Several episodes of violence pitted Chinese ships against Vietnamese and Philippine ships in those waters.
