![Senior military officials from the US and China met in Washington, DC [Handout: Alexander Kubitza/US Navy via AP Photo]](/Uploads/Images/News/2024/1/Image-2189-20240110112909.jpeg)
In talks with US, China says it will ‘never compromise’ on Taiwan
Chinese military officials have told their US counterparts that Beijing will “never compromise” on the issue of Taiwan, the self-ruled island that China claims as its own.
The United States and China wrapped up two days of military talks in Washington, DC on Tuesday, the Pentagon said, the latest round of discussions since the two countries agreed to resume military-to-military ties.
The two sides are at odds over a range of issues from Taiwan to Beijing’s expansive claims in the South China Sea but agreed to resume talks after a meeting between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping last November.
China “stressed that it will never compromise or back down on the Taiwan issue”, China’s Ministry of National Defense said in a statement on the talks on Wednesday, urging the United States to “stop arming” the island, which is holding elections on Saturday.
The US is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, and Beijing has not ruled out the use of force to secure territorial control.
The Chinese side also urged the United States to “reduce its military deployment and provocative actions in the South China Sea and stop supporting violations and provocations by individual countries”, the statement continued.
“The United States should fully understand the root causes of maritime and air security issues, strictly rein in its frontline troops, and stop with the exaggeration and hype,” it said.
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