As Trump comes calling, China sings the 'Taiwan a priority' tune

Beijing: China again signaled that US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping next week, saying that US must adhere to the "one China principle" for a stable relationship with Beijing.

Last week, China's top diplomat Wang Yi said he hopes the US would make the "right choices" relating to the self-ruled island when he spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has not excluded the use of force to take it. Beijing has been ramping up its military pressure by sending warplanes and naval vessels around the island almost daily.


"The Taiwan question is at the core of China's core interests and the bedrock of the political foundation of China-U.S. relations," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian Thursday.

"Abiding by the One China principle and the three China-US joint communiques and honoring the commitments made by U.S administrations on the Taiwan question, is the due international obligation of the United States and the prerequisite for a steady, sound, and sustainable China-US relationship," he added.

Such strong language so close in time to the two leaders' meeting is rare for Beijing, said Arthur Zhin-Sheng Wang, a defense expert at Taiwan's Central Police University. The new language also explicitly links US diplomatic actions on Taiwan to Washington's relationship with China.

China and Taiwan split after a civil war in 1949. The U.S. is the island's largest unofficial ally and also sells weapons to Taiwan as part of a law which requires it to ensure Taiwan can defend itself.

Those weapons sales and diplomatic support is a primary source of tension between China and the US.