BEIJING, May 9 -- Washington's recent move on the Taiwan question has muscled in on China's sovereignty and internal affairs, and put the bilateral relations in jeopardy.
The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed the "Taiwan Assurance Act of 2019" and "Reaffirming the United States commitment to Taiwan and to the implementation of the Taiwan Relations Act," a blunt violation of the one-China principle and the spirit of the three China-U.S. joint communiques.
According to the China-U.S. joint statement released in November 2009, the two sides reiterated that the fundamental principle of respect for each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity is at the core of the three China-U.S. joint communiques which guide China-U.S. relations. Neither side supports any attempts by any force to undermine this principle.
The latest move by the U.S. Congress has betrayed the basic principles and obligations encoded in international law. For a country to be a responsible one in the international arena, it needs to keep its word. "I don't know how men get along without good faith," Chinese philosopher Confucius once remarked.
The Taiwan question has all along been the most consequential and sensitive one with regard to the China-U.S. relations, and the one-China principle constitutes the political basis for the bilateral relations. If the United States gets on with its reckless acts on Taiwan-related issues, it is going to hurt the two sides' strategic mutual trust, and bring irreparable damage to bilateral ties.
The Taiwan question also concerns China's core interests, its sovereignty and security, and the national bond of all Chinese people. Facing external interference in it, the Chinese government and Chinese people will never sit by and let it loose.
Currently, certain factions in the United States miscalculate where the two countries would go next and make a string of irresponsible remarks as well as deeds.
China and the United States stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation. The United States needs to stick to the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, and safeguard bilateral ties with coordination, cooperation and stability as the defining features.
By taking advantage of Taiwan-related issues as a bargaining chip, the United States is trying to contain China for self-serving purposes. Yet that is a wrong path. If the U.S. side stays on this wrong direction, China will take forceful responses.