China reasserts sovereignty after US strategy suggests interference in Taiwan | World

Washington detailed its position on one of the most sensitive diplomatic issues on the global stage in the national security strategy released Friday. The release comes as Beijing deployed a large contingent of navy and coast guard vessels to East Asian waters last week, representing its largest show of maritime force to date.

Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, told reporters in Beijing that Taiwan represented the “major red line” in Sino-US relations and that Beijing would not accept any outside interference.

According to him, the United States must treat the Taiwan question “with the utmost caution” and stop supporting the forces defending the independence of the island, whether through the use of force or through resistance to reunification.

Guo added that China is ready to work with Washington to promote stable relations while protecting its sovereignty, security and development interests. China, which considers Taiwan – democratically governed – as its own territory, has never renounced the use of force to take control of the island. The Taiwanese government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims.

The new US document was well received in Taiwan. President Lai Ching-te wrote in X on Saturday: “I greatly appreciate that the US national security strategy prioritizes deterring conflict over Taiwan. »

Taiwanese Defense Minister Wellington Koo told reporters the same day that the United States always views maintaining peace and stability in the region as its primary interest.

“The United States actively encourages countries in the Indo-Pacific region to work together to establish an effective form of collective deterrence,” he said. “We in Taiwan also need to strengthen our self-defense capabilities.”

Lai said Taiwan intended to spend 5% of its GDP on defense by 2030, and in November announced 40 billion in additional defense spending for the period 2026 to 2033.