US Secretary of State Marco Rubio clashed with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi over Taiwan. Donald Trump's top diplomat condemned Beijing's "coercive" actions against the island and in the South China Sea region, BTA reported.
Yesterday, Rubio, a long-time China hawk, had his first phone call with his Beijing counterpart after taking office. One of the new secretary of state's first foreign policy actions after taking office is to unite US allies and partners in the region.
In the phone call, Rubio told Wang that the second "Trump" administration will pursue a relationship with China that puts "American interests and people first," said Tammy Bruce, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department. "The secretary also stressed the U.S. commitment to all allies in the region and serious concerns about China's coercive actions toward Taiwan and the South China Sea."
Wang, for his part, issued a warning to Rubio about Taiwan, a self-governing democracy over which China claims sovereignty and over which Beijing has not ruled out the use of force as an option to bring it under its control.
"We will never allow Taiwan to be separated from China," Wang told Rubio, adding that Washington "must not break its promise." to recognize only one China, according to a transcript of the conversation released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Wang expressed hope to Rubio that the former US senator would "play a constructive role in shaping the future of the Chinese and American people, as well as (ensuring) world peace and stability".
In the conversation, Wang said that the world's two largest economies should work to "find the right way to interact with each other in the new era" - most likely referring to Trump's return to the White House.
Although Beijing "has no intention of overtaking or replacing anyone," it retains its legitimate right to develop, the Chinese foreign minister added.
He said he and his American counterpart should follow the example of President Xi Jinping and Trump, who had a cordial phone call.
The United States is a long-time supporter of Taiwan and its largest arms supplier, but does not officially maintain diplomatic relations with the island.
When confirmed by the Senate earlier this week, Rubio promised to strengthen support for Taipei in order to achieve a "balance" that would discourage China from any intention of militarily invading the island.
During the hearing, Rubio suggested that Beijing could invade Taiwan. by the end of the decade unless the US makes it clear that "it will pay a very high price for any intervention in Taiwan".
Rubio has identified China as the number one threat to US interests and accused the Asian giant - whose economy has seen record growth in recent decades - of having made its way "by deception" to its status as a global superpower.
Immediately after taking office on Tuesday, Rubio met with the foreign ministers of Japan, India and Australia - the so-called QUAD (Quadruple Security Dialogue) group, the creation of which China sees as an attempt to encircle it.
The four foreign ministers issued a joint statement in which they declared themselves against any "unilateral actions to change the status quo through the use of force or coercion", an obvious reference to China.
Rubio had a telephone conversation with his counterpart from the Philippines, and yesterday with his counterpart from Vietnam.
With Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son, Washington's number one diplomat discussed "China's aggressive behavior in the South China Sea," the State Department reported. department.