US should not cross ‘red lines’, Taiwan No 1 risk to stable ties: top Beijing envoy

Washington should not cross Beijing’s “red lines” to ensure the stable development of ties, Chinese ambassador Xie Feng has said, while calling the Taiwan issue the biggest potential threat to the relationship.

Addressing a Lunar New Year reception hosted by his embassy last Friday, Xie also called on the United States to be mindful of China’s core interests – saying that strict adherence to the “bottom line” was a prerequisite for stable ties.

It was important to maintain a “stable, healthy and sustainable” US-China relationship, which “holds a significance like never before”, Xie told the event in Washington.

“The Taiwan question is the question most likely to have a disruptive impact on China-US relations. To maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, it is vital to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, and unequivocally oppose ‘Taiwan independence’,” he said.

The joint communiques state that the US recognises the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government of China, and acknowledges Beijing’s position that there is but one China, and Taiwan is part of China.

  

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