BBC News Top Stories-World Taiwan election China says US gravely wrong to congratulate new leader
January 14, 2024 3 min 511 words
这则报道反映了中美在台湾选举结果上的紧张关系。美国国务卿布林肯祝贺台湾新当选总统赖文生，强调两国基于民主价值的伙伴关系。中国对此指责美国发出“严重错误信号”，违背了与台湾保持非正式关系的承诺。这表明两国在“一个中国”政策上存在分歧，北京将台湾视为自己的领土，而美国则强调与台湾的非正式关系。美国对台湾的支持引起中国的强烈反感，视之为对“分裂势力”的支持。此次外交争端可能对中美关系产生负面影响，需要双方保持冷静并通过对话解决分歧。这也凸显了台海问题对全球格局的敏感性，需要各方保持克制，避免引发更大的紧张局势。
China has accused the US of sending "a gravely wrong signal" to those pushing for Taiwan's independence after Saturday's election result.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent Taiwanese president-elect William Lai a message of congratulations following the result.
Beijing called the message aviolation of Washington's commitment to maintain only unofficial ties with Taiwan.
Mr Lai has vowed to protect Taiwan from an increasingly aggressive China.
But Beijing sees Taiwan as its territory and fiercely challenges any government that says otherwise.
Messages of congratulations for Taiwan's new leader poured in from all over the world after the election, including from Mr Blinken - who emphasised the partnership between Taipei and Washington, which he said was rooted in democratic values.
"We look forward to working with Dr Lai and Taiwan's leaders of all parties to advance our shared interests and values," he said in a statement.
Mr Blinken also stressed that the US, one of Taiwan's biggest allies, is "committed to maintaining cross-strait peace and stability".
The top US diplomat was also quick to say that such collaboration should "further our longstanding unofficial relationship" and be "consistent with the US One China policy".
Under the policy, the US recognises and has formal ties with China rather than the island of Taiwan, which China sees as a breakaway province to be unified with the mainland one day.
Mr Blinken's remarks drew sharp criticism from Beijing, which views any statement of support for Taiwan as lending legitimacy to a candidate and political party it sees as a gang of separatists hoping to turn Taiwan into an independent sovereign nation.
In a statement, China's foreign ministry said Mr Blinken's congratulations violated the US's promise to maintain "only cultural, commercial, and other unofficial relations" with Taiwan.
It stressed that the Taiwan question is "the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations" and said it had lodged a formal diplomatic complaint.
"China firmly opposes the US having any form of official interaction with Taiwan and interfering in Taiwan affairs in any way or under any pretext."
Beijing's statement will likely serve as a warning to Washington after it sent an unofficial delegation of former US officials to hold talks with leading political figures in Taiwan just hours after the self-ruled island elected Mr Lai.
Deployed by US President Joe Biden, who himself welcomed the election results, the delegation includes a former US national security adviser and a former deputy secretary of state.
Watch: The BBC's Shaimaa Khalil joined DPP supporters at a rally celebrating their win
Other Western countries, including the UK, France and Germany, congratulated the new leader.
Beijing's Communist government reviles Mr Lai's pro-sovereignty Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which has governed Taiwan for eight years.
That is because China sees any statement of support towards the DPP as lending legitimacy to politicians, which Beijing sees as a gang of separatists hoping to turn Taiwan into an independent sovereign nation.