FILE PHOTO/Agence France-Presse
China has warned the United States that it could call off a planned leaders’ summit later this month if Washington approves new arms sales to Taiwan ahead of the meeting.
According to diplomatic sources, Beijing reiterated that Taiwan remains the foremost “red line” in Sino-American relations as preparations continue for Chinese President Xi Jinping to meet US President Donald Trump, Kyiv Post reported.
Beijing views the self-governed democratic island of Taiwan as an integral part of its sovereign territory, asserting it is prepared to achieve reunification by military force if necessary.
Friction surrounding the status of Taiwan escalated during a bilateral leaders’ meeting in Beijing in May, when Xi designated Taiwan as the most critical issue in bilateral ties and warned of direct conflict if the matter was mismanaged.
In a subsequent television interview, Trump remarked that arms sales to Taiwan could serve as a “very good bargaining chip” in broader negotiations with China – comments that intensified scrutiny among Asian allies over the durability of Washington’s regional security guarantees.
According to Kyodo, Trump places an emphasis on staging a high-profile summit with Xi ahead of November’s midterm congressional elections, viewing the prospective meeting as an opportunity to project foreign policy successes to domestic voters.
