Battle Over Taiwan: China Warns US 'Not to Play With Fire' After Washington's Support for Island
- United States president Joe Biden recently sent an unofficial delegation to Taiwan, signalling his support for the independence of the island
- Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian asked the US to immediately stop any form of communication with Taiwan
- Washington and Beijing had traded words since January when Biden was sworn as the 46th US president
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The hot and cold diplomatic relations between the United States and China have intensified after Washington vowed to support Taiwan while bypassing Beijing.
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This was after the US moved to ease restrictions that prohibited its officials from meeting with their Taipei counterparts despite China laying claim to it.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian asked the US to not 'play with fire' and immediately stop any form of communication with Taiwan officials so as not to stabilise peace on the island, Al Jazeera reported.
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On Wednesday, April 14, United States president Joe Biden sent an unofficial delegation to Taiwan, signalling his support for the independence and democracy of the island from China.
The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the powerful nation is committed to defending the democratic self-governed island.
Xavier Chang, the spokesman for Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen, confirmed the visit.
"Once again this visit demonstrates the firm relationship between Taiwan and the United States,” Chang stated.
Even as the US tried to deepen its relations with Taiwan, over 20 Chinese warplanes have entered the Taiwan defence zone.
According to Bloomberg, China deployed 14 J-16 and four J-10 fighters, four H-6K bombers, two Y-8 anti-sub warfare planes and one KJ-500, its biggest drill to be witnessed in 2021.
Washington and Beijing had traded barbs since January when Biden was sworn in as the 46th US president.
Even though Beijing claims its own Taipei, the island had governed itself since 1949.
Meanwhile, John Campbell, a former ambassador of the United States to Nigeria, has said that his country cannot assist Nigeria in terms of insecurity at the moment until the federal government deals with human rights abuses by security operatives.
Specifically, Campbell noted that the US government cannot assist Nigeria financially because the former's laws will not permit it to offer monetary and technical aids to security forces that are surrounded by allegations of rights violation.
Source: Legit.ng
Jerrywright Ukwu Jerrywright Ukwu is an Abuja-based senior political/defence correspondent. He is a graduate of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos and the International Institute of Journalism in Abuja. He is also a member of the Nigeria Union of Journalists. He spends his leisure-time reading history books. He can be reached via email at jerrywright39@yahoo.com.
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