The US should cease sending ships and planes to South China Sea islands, stop showing off its military might and respect China’s core interests, Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) told US Secretary of State John Kerry.
“The world is facing multifaceted challenges and needs multi-party cooperation to handle that,” Wang said on Sunday in a telephone conversation with Kerry, according to a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement. “While the US is seeking Chinese cooperation, it also should respect China’s core interests and major concerns.”
Wang’s comments follow a report in the Wall Street Journal that a US B-52 bomber mistakenly flew within two nautical miles (3.7km) of Cuarteron Reef (Huayang Reef, 華陽礁) in the disputed Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島) in the South China Sea. China dumped tonnes of dredged sand onto the reef, turning it into an artificial island last year, according to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, a Web site devoted to tracking maritime security issues in Asia.
The US and China have been at loggerheads since October when the US sailed a warship within 12 nautical miles of an island China built on a previously semi-submerged reef. China’s claim to more than 80 percent of the waters is contested by Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.
A Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement urged the US “to reflect upon and correct its mistake, take effective measures to prevent similar dangerous and provocative actions from happening and stop doing anything that hurts China’s sovereignty and security interests.”
Bad weather had contributed to the pilot of the B-52 flying off course and into the area claimed by China, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing Pentagon spokesman Bill Urban. The Pentagon is investigating why one of two B-52s on a routine patrol unintentionally flew into the airspace, he said.
The Chinese Ministry of National Defense on Saturday said that both B-52s had flown into Chinese airspace on Dec. 10, in a “serious military provocation” that prompted troops on the island to go on high alert and warn the planes to leave.
Wang also requested that the US stop selling arms to Taiwan, which China regards as a province. The US last week said it would sell US$1.83 billion in arms to Taiwan, its first such sale in four years.
The Wang-Kerry conversation followed a unanimous adoption on Saturday by the UN Security Council of a resolution endorsing a political transition to end Syria’s civil war. Wang said China hopes this would be a good opportunity to press ahead with a political solution to the Syrian issue.
The US Department of State has no yet published an account of the conversation.
ONE LAST TALK: While Xi said that Taiwan was a ‘red line,’ Biden, in what is likely his last meeting with Xi as president, called for an end to China’s military activity around Taiwan China’s military intimidation and economic coercion against Taiwan are the main causes of tensions that are destabilizing peace in the Taiwan Strait, Taipei said yesterday while thanking US President Joe Biden for expressing Washington’s firm stance of maintaining peace and stability in the region. Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met on Saturday for their third meeting and their first talks in seven months on the sidelines of the APEC forum in Lima, Peru. It was likely Biden’s last meeting as president with Xi. During their conversation, Biden reiterated the US’ opposition to any unilateral change to the “status quo” from either
Taiwan would participate in the 2026 APEC summit to be hosted by China after Beijing promised it would ensure the personal safety of attendees, Taiwanese national security sources said yesterday. The APEC Leaders’ Machu Picchu Declaration announced yesterday said that China would host the APEC summit in 2026. Beijing proposed hosting the summit shortly before this year’s gathering began on Friday, a national security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Many APEC members expressed concerns about China hosting the event and said that prior communication over the decision was insufficient, the official said. Taiwan brought up concerns about legal “guidelines” China announced in
SUPPORT: Arms sales to NATO Plus countries such as Japan, South Korea and Israel only have to be approved by the US Congress if they exceed US$25m The US should amend a law to add Taiwan to the list of “NATO Plus” allies and streamline future arms sales, a US commission said on Tuesday in its annual report to the US Congress. The recommendation was made in the annual report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC), which contained chapters on US-China economic and trade ties, security relations, and Taiwan and Hong Kong. In the chapter on Taiwan, the commission urged the US Congress to “amend the Arms Export Control Act of 1976 to include Taiwan on the list of ‘NATO Plus’ recipients,” referring to
Minister of Labor Ho Pei-shan (何佩珊) said she would tender her resignation following criticism of her handling of alleged bullying by Ministry of Labor Workforce Development Agency branch director Hsieh Yi-jung (謝宜容) resulting in the death of an employee. The ministry yesterday gave Hsieh two demerits and said she is subject to review by the Disciplinary Court. The severest possible punishment would be her removal from office and being barred from government jobs indefinitely. Workforce Development Agency Director-General Tsai Meng-liang (蔡孟良) also received a major demerit and was transferred to another position. Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) issued a formal apology
RSS