China warns US over Marines in Taiwan

[Boats]

China warns US over Marines in Taiwan
By: Joel Gehrke - June 29, 2018 12:51 PM
RE: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/p...ines-in-taiwan

A plan to send U.S. Marines to provide security for a U.S. facility in Taiwan has drawn a warning from China, which is sensitive to any challenge to its claim of sovereignty over the island.

“The 'One China' principle is the political foundation for China-U.S. relations,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Hang told reporters Friday. “The U.S. should honor its commitment to the 'One China' principle and refrain from any official ties or military exchanges with Taiwan.”

That warning came in response to a question about the prospect of a detachment of Marines providing security for the American Institute in Taiwan, an entity that functions as the United States' unofficial embassy on the self-ruling island. The Marine Corps customarily guards State Department facilities around the world, but the United States does not have official diplomatic ties with Taiwan, which is the last bastion of the government that was overthrown during China’s communist revolution.

"We do not discuss specific security matters concerning the protection of our facility or personnel,” a spokesperson for the State Department told CNN.

The State Department’s request for Marine Corps security at AIT comes one day after diplomats revealed that China refused President Trump’s request for consultations about how American companies may refer to Taiwan. The Communist Party regime has pressured U.S. airlines to specify that Taiwan is a part of China, drawing a rebuke from Trump’s team.

“This is Orwellian nonsense and part of a growing trend by the Chinese Communist Party to impose its political views on American citizens and private companies,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in May. “The United States strongly objects to China’s attempts to compel private firms to use specific language of a political nature in their publicly available content.”

Kang replied with his own rebuke. “I shall stress again that the 'One China' principle is the political foundation for China-U.S. relations, something not negotiable,” he said. “The U.S. government should have urged the relevant enterprises to observe the 'One China' principle and rectify the relevant websites as soon as possible.”