China slammed Taiwan Monday for offering asylum to Hong Kong people facing prosecution for involvement in anti-government protests, telling the island’s leaders to “stop meddling” in the territory’s affairs.

Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen voiced support last month for granting asylum to some Hong Kong protesters, with the semi-autonomous financial hub in the midst of an unprecedented political crisis.

Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesperson for the Chinese cabinet’s Taiwan Affairs Office, warned Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party to “stop undermining the rule of law in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, stop meddling in Hong Kong affairs, and stop indulging criminals in any way.”

Taiwanese authorities “ignore the facts and reverse black and white, not only masking the crimes of a small number of Hong Kong militants, but also fueling their arrogance for destroying Hong Kong”, said Ma.

Last month after dozens of Hong Kong activists reportedly involved in an unprecedented storming of the city’s parliament fled to Taiwan, the Taipei said it would provide assistance to those seeking sanctuary.

“They openly claim to provide (protesters) asylum, making Taiwan into a ‘haven sheltering criminals’, where does this put the safety and welfare of the Taiwan people?” asked Ma.

Beijing regards Taiwan as a part of China awaiting reunification, but the island is a self-ruled democracy.

The protest movement in Hong Kong was sparked by widespread opposition to a plan for allowing extraditions to the Chinese mainland, but has since morphed into a broader call for democratic rights.

Taiwan’s history of providing sanctuary to Chinese dissidents has been mixed.

The island still does not recognize the legal concept of asylum but has, on occasions, allowed dissidents to stay on long-term visas.

Ties with Beijing have soured since Tsai came to power in 2016 because her party refuses to recognize the idea that Taiwan is part of “one China.”

Last Update: Monday, 19 August 2019 KSA 14:38 - GMT 11:38 </s> Taiwan's president was greeted by a large group of supporters and a handful of pro-China protesters as she entered a downtown Denver hotel before dinner.

President Tsai Ing-wen plans to be in Colorado for two days on her way back home after visiting Caribbean countries with which Taiwan has diplomatic relations. She will dine Friday with officials, some of whom traveled from Wyoming, which recently opened a trade office in Taiwan.

The U.S. visit comes about six months before a general election in Taiwan and amid rising frustration from China over the Trump administration's sales of sophisticated weapons to Taiwan, as well as Tsai's independence policy.

Supporter Cheng Chih Ko, who is visiting Denver from Tainan, Taiwan, says, "We're not part of China" and "we're here to support our president and here to support our own country." </s> President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan responded vigorously to a speech this week by Chinese Communist Party chief Xi Jinping announcing that China would no longer tolerate Taiwan’s sovereignty, urging Xi to “bravely move towards democracy” and “face the reality of the existence of the Republic of China.”

In his speech on Tuesday, Xi called Taiwanese independence a “dead end” and warned that, in 2019, China would no longer accept the status quo.

“We make no promise to abandon the use of force, and retain the option of taking all necessary measures,” he warned.

Tsai, speaking on Wednesday, responded by lamenting that China has consistently rejected the democratic values that, according to her, define the national identity of Taiwan and condemned China for spending much of 2018 attempting to bribe Taiwan’s allies away from recognizing the nation’s sovereignty.

“Democratic values are the values and way of life that Taiwanese cherish, and we call upon China to bravely move towards democracy,” Tsai declared. “This is the only way they can truly understand Taiwanese people’s ideas and commitments.”

Tsai called on China to “face the reality of the existence of the Republic of China (Taiwan), and not deny the democratic system that the people of Taiwan have established together.” She insisted that Taiwan “absolutely will not accept ‘one country, two systems,'” the policy in place for Hong Kong, which nominally allows Hong Kong to remain democratic but technically deprives it of sovereignty. Xi’s regime has increasingly crippled Hong Kong’s ability to govern itself under “one country, two systems” by banning political candidates anathema to the Communist Party’s interest from running for office.

Tsai also implied that China’s behavior towards Taiwan, particularly since she took over as president in 2016, had brought it international embarrassment. “I want to remind the Beijing authorities that a superpower must act with the demeanor and take the responsibility of a superpower,” she noted, “and international society is watching China to see if it can make changes and become a trustworthy partner.”

“Pressuring international corporations to change their designation for Taiwan won’t bring about a spiritual union, nor will buying off Taiwan’s diplomatic allies or circling Taiwan with military aircraft and naval vessels,” Tsai concluded.

The latter remark referred to China’s policy of using “sharp power,” or economic intimidation, to force international corporations to accept its worldview. Throughout 2018, companies such as Ikea, American Airlines, and Marriott faced the brunt of “sharp power,” forced to choose between identifying Taiwan as a country in their legal papers, websites, and drop-down menus or losing access to the massive Chinese market. Three major airlines in the United States ultimately changed their fight booking options to stop identifying Taiwan as a country even as the U.S. government dismissed China’s bullying as “nonsense” and urged them not to do so. Marriott, in one notable instance, fired a social media manager for “liking” a Twitter post by a group called “Friends of Tibet,” which opposes communism.

China has also used its “Belt and Road” initiative (BRI, or One Belt, One Road) to offer high-interest loans to nations that maintain friendly relations with Taiwan, notably in Latin America. Nations like the Dominican Republic and El Salvador announced last year they no longer recognized Taiwan’s sovereignty after lucrative business meetings with Beijing’s representatives. An enraged Tsai warned the world in August that China’s “increasingly out of control” behavior was “not only a threat to cross-strait peace … [but] caused high levels of global instability.”

Tsai’s speech on Wednesday followed new year’s remarks from Xi Jinping warning that 2019 would be the last year China would tolerate Taiwan’s existence.

“Reunification is a historical trend and it is the right path. Taiwan independence is an adverse current of history and is a dead end,” Xi announced. “The issue of Taiwan is part of China’s domestic politics. It is a core interest of China, and the … feelings of the Chinese people, and foreign interference is intolerable.”

He added that Chinese officials “make no promise to abandon the use of force” to end Taiwan’s independence.

Asked about the aggressive remarks on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang claimed to reporters that Xi was not speaking for China, but for the world.

Xi “made it very clear in his speech that adherence to the one-China principle is a consensus shared by the international community,” Lu said. “The international community generally understands and supports the just cause of the Chinese people in opposing ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist activities and realizing national reunification.”

“We make no promise to renounce the use of force. This does not target compatriots in Taiwan, but the interference of external forces and the very small number of ‘Taiwan independence’ separatists and their activities,” he added, likely alluding to the United States as an “external force” against Beijing’s interests on the matter.

The threat of use of force is not new for Xi’s regime. In October, Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe said during remarks to the press that “if someone tries to separate out Taiwan, China’s military will take the necessary actions at any cost.” Two months later, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) reportedly deployed a significantly larger fleet of naval vessels to the Taiwan Strait, presumably to surround Taiwan’s military and intimidate U.S. ships in the area. The Chinese Foreign Ministry argued this was necessary because a U.S. Navy ship had traveled through the sovereign Vietnamese waters in the South China Sea, which China has illegally claimed for itself. </s> BEIJING (AP) — China said Friday that the U.S. should not allow an ongoing visit by Taiwan’s president to New York and that it would impose sanctions on American companies that sell arms to the self-governing island as part of an expected $2.2 billion deal.

President Tsai Ing-wen is in New York on a two-night “transit” stop en route to an official visit to four Caribbean nations. She was scheduled to deliver a speech to a U.S.-Taiwan business summit and attend a dinner with members of the Taiwanese-American community.

“We urge the U.S. to abide by the ‘one China’ principle and … not allow Tsai Ing-wen’s stopover, cease official exchanges with Taiwan and refrain from providing any platform for separatist Taiwan independence forces,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a daily briefing.

In a separate statement on the foreign ministry’s website, Geng announced sanctions on companies involved in the arms deal, which he said “undermines China’s sovereignty and national security.” The four-sentence statement did not provide any details about the sanctions.

The Trump administration said Tuesday that it is proposing a $2.2 billion sale that would include 108 Abrams tanks and 250 Stinger surface-to-air missiles. The tanks represent a significant upgrade to Taiwan’s aging fleet.

Taiwan split from China during a civil war in 1949, and Tsai has resisted Chinese pressure for reunification under the “one country, two systems” framework that governs Hong Kong.

The United States recognizes Beijing as the government of China, but provides military and other support to Taiwan. China objects to such support as an interference in what it considers its internal affairs.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, on a visit to Hungary, said his country has grave concern about Tsai’s U.S. visits. She is scheduled to make another two-night stop on her way home.

She is visiting Haiti, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St. Lucia on a 12-day trip. The island nations are among the few countries that recognize Taiwan instead of China.

Before departing, Tsai said Thursday that she wants to share the values of democracy and perseverance with Taiwan’s friends.

“Our democracy has not come easily and now is facing the threat and technological penetration of foreign forces,” she said, in a veiled reference to China.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. </s> TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen called on Saturday for international support to defend the self-ruled island’s democracy and way of life in the face of renewed threats from China.

Tsai’s comments came days after Chinese President Xi Jinping said nobody could change the fact that Taiwan was part of China, and that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should seek “reunification”.

“We hope that the international community takes it seriously and can voice support and help us,” Tsai told reporters in Taipei, referring to threats by China to use force to bring Taiwan under its control.

If the international community did not support a democratic country that was under threat, “we might have to ask which country might be next,?” Tsai added.

Taiwan is China’s most sensitive issue and is claimed by Beijing as its sacred territory. Xi has stepped up pressure on the democratic island since Tsai from the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party became president in 2016.

President Xi said on Wednesday that China reserves the right to use force to bring Taiwan under its control but will strive to achieve peaceful “reunification” with the island.

In response, Tsai has said the island would not accept a “one country, two systems” political arrangement with China, while stressing all cross-Strait negotiations needed to be carried out on a government-to-government basis.

Tsai on Saturday also urged China to have a “correct understanding” of what Taiwanese think and said actions such as political bullying were unhelpful in cross-strait relations. </s> TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan on Saturday defended a proposal to purchase $2.2 billion in arms from the U.S., following a Chinese announcement that it would sanction any American companies involved in the deal.

U.S. weapons help strengthen Taiwan’s self-defense in the face of a growing military threat from China, the defense ministry said.

“The national army will continue to strengthen its key defense forces, ensure national security, protect its homeland and ensure that the fruits of freedom and democracy won’t be attacked,” the ministry said in a statement.

China announced late Friday that it would impose sanctions on any U.S. enterprises involved in the deal, saying it “undermines China’s sovereignty and national security.”

Taiwan split from China during a civil war in 1949, but the mainland still considers the self-governing island as part of its territory.

The U.S., which recognized Beijing as the government of China in 1979, does not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but U.S. law requires that it provide Taiwan with sufficient defense equipment and services for self-defense.

The Trump administration announced the proposed $2.2 billion sale, which would include 108 Abrams tanks and 250 Stinger surface-to-air missiles, earlier in the week.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, speaking in New York on Friday, said that her government has strengthened Taiwan’s national defense to protect its democracy, according to a transcript posted on the presidential office website.

China has objected to her U.S. visit, which Taiwan calls a “two-evening transit stop” on the way to Haiti and three other Caribbean nations that recognize Taiwan.

“We urge the U.S. to abide by the ‘One China’ principle and … not allow Tsai Ing-wen’s stopover, cease official exchanges with Taiwan and refrain from providing any platform for separatist Taiwan independence forces,” foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Friday in Beiijng.

Tsai dismissed Chinese criticism of both her visit and the arms deal. “We don’t need our neighbor to make irresponsible remarks,” she told reporters in New York, according to Taiwan’s official Central News Agency.

She has rejected Chinese pressure to reunite Taiwan and China under the “one-country, two-systems” framework that governs Hong Kong. She said Friday that the people of Taiwan stand with the young people of Hong Kong who are fighting for democratic freedoms in ongoing protests.

“Hong Kong’s experience under ‘one country, two systems’ has shown the world once and for all that authoritarianism and democracy cannot coexist,” she said.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. </s> TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan on Sunday condemned what it called a “provocative” move by China after two Chinese fighter jets crossed a maritime border separating the two sides amid growing friction between Taipei and Beijing.

FILE PHOTO: Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen speaks during "A Civil Society Dialogue on Securing Religious Freedom in the Indo-Pacific Region" forum in Taipei, Taiwan March 11, 2019. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

Earlier on Sunday Taiwan scrambled aircraft to drive away the two Chinese planes, the self-ruled island’s defence ministry said.

China’s move had “seriously impacted regional safety and stability”, the ministry said in a statement.

There was no immediate reaction from Beijing, which views Taiwan as a renegade Chinese province.

Huang Chung-yen, a spokesman for Taiwan’s Presidential Office, said Beijing “should stop behaviour of this sort, which endangers regional peace, and not be an international troublemaker”.

President Tsai Ing-wen had urged the army “to complete all tasks on war preparation”, he added.

China has repeatedly sent military aircraft and ships to circle Taiwan during drills in recent years and worked to isolate the island internationally, whittling down its few remaining diplomatic allies.

The United States last week sent Navy and Coast Guard ships through the Taiwan Strait, as part of an increase in the frequency of movement through the strategic waterway despite opposition from China.

Taiwan is one of a growing number of flashpoints in the U.S.-China relationship, which also include a trade war and China’s increasingly muscular military posture in the South China Sea.

China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control. </s> Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen vowed on Saturday to defend the self-ruled island’s democracy and way of life, amid renewed tension with giant neighbour China, which threatens to bring Taiwan under its rule by force.

Tsai’s comments came days after Chinese President Xi Jinping said nobody could change the fact that Taiwan was part of China, and that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should seek “reunification”. In response, Tsai has said the island would not accept a “one country, two systems” political arrangement with China, while stressing all cross-Strait negotiations needed to be carried out on a government-to-government basis. </s> China lodged a diplomatic protest on Saturday after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump spoke by phone with President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan, but blamed the self-ruled island, which Beijing claims as its own, for the “petty” move.

The 10-minute telephone call with Taiwan’s leadership was the first by a U.S. president-elect or president since President Jimmy Carter switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979, acknowledging Taiwan as part of “one China.”

China’s Foreign Ministry said it had lodged “stern representations” with what it called the “relevant U.S. side,” urging the careful handling of the Taiwan issue to avoid any unnecessary disturbances in ties.

“The one-China principle is the political basis of the China-U.S. relationship,” it said.

The wording implied the protest had gone to the Trump camp, but the ministry provided no explanation.

Speaking earlier, hours after Friday’s telephone call, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pointedly blamed Taiwan for the exchange, rather than Trump, a billionaire businessman with little foreign policy experience.

“This is just the Taiwan side engaging in a petty action and cannot change the one-China structure already formed by the international community,” Wang said at an academic forum in Beijing, state media reported. “I believe that it won’t change the long-standing one-China policy of the United States government.”

In comments at the same forum, Wang noted how quickly President Xi Jinping and Trump had spoken by telephone after Trump’s victory, and said Trump had praised China as a great country.

Wang said that exchange had sent “a very positive signal about the future development of Sino-U.S. relations,” according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s website. Taiwan was not mentioned in that call, according to an official Chinese transcript.

Trump said on Twitter that Tsai had initiated the call he had with the Taiwan president. “The President of Taiwan CALLED ME today to wish me congratulations on winning the Presidency. Thank you!” he said.

Alex Huang, a spokesman for Tsai, said, “Of course, both sides agreed ahead of time before making contact.”

Trump and Tsai noted that “close economic, political and security ties exist between Taiwan and the United States,” the Trump transition team said in a statement. Taiwan’s presidential office said the two discussed strengthening bilateral interactions and establishing closer cooperation.

Taiwan’s official Central News Agency said Saturday that the former president of a conservative American think tank played a “crucial” role that led to the call between Trump and Tsai.

Citing anonymous sources, it said Edwin Feulner, the founder of the Washington-based Heritage Foundation, was a “crucial figure” in setting up communication channels between the sides.

Feulner led a delegation from the Heritage Foundation on a trip to Taiwan in October and met with Tsai, according to a release at the time from Taiwan’s presidential office.

That release says Tsai called Feulner a “long-time friend to Taiwan” and conveyed her gratitude to his foundation for its support.

China considers Taiwan a wayward province and has never renounced the use of force to bring it under its control. Relations between the two sides have worsened since Tsai, who heads the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, was elected president in January.

Chinese state media downplayed the possibility of a major blow-up in Beijing’s relations with Washington as Trump prepares to assume office.

An influential state-run tabloid, the Global Times, said in an online editorial that if Trump really overturned the one-China principle upon assuming office, it would create such a crisis with China that he would have little time to do anything else. “We believe this is not something the shrewd Trump wants to do.”

China’s official Xinhua News Agency said Trump needed to know Beijing can be a “cooperative partner” as long as Washington respects China’s core interests, including the issue of Taiwan.

“China and the United States are not destined rivals,” it said in an English-language commentary.

Washington remains Taiwan’s most important political ally and sole arms supplier despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties, the irony of which was not lost on Trump.

“Interesting how the U.S. sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call,” Trump said in another tweet.

Trump has eschewed tradition in other calls with foreign leaders since he won the U.S. election, prompting the White House to encourage him to make use of the diplomatic expertise and counsel of the State Department.

The White House said after Trump’s call that “long-standing policy” on China and Taiwan had not changed.

“We remain firmly committed to our one-China policy,” said Ned Price, a national security spokesman for President Barack Obama. “Our fundamental interest is in peaceful and stable cross-strait relations.”

Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway said on CNN that Trump was “well aware of what U.S. policy has been” on Taiwan.

Administration officials said Trump’s team did not alert the White House about the call ahead of time.

Advisers to the Republican president-elect have indicated that he is likely to take a more robust policy toward China than Obama, a Democrat, and that Trump plans to boost the U.S. military in part in response to China’s increasing power in Asia. However, details of his plans remain scant.

Trump lambasted China throughout the U.S. election campaign, drumming up headlines with pledges to slap 45 percent tariffs on imported Chinese goods and label the country a currency manipulator on his first day in office.

Earlier in the week, Trump spoke to Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and praised him, according to the Pakistani leader’s office, as a “terrific guy.”

Islamabad and Washington have seen relations sour in recent years over U.S. accusations that Pakistan shelters Islamist militants who kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, a charge denied by the South Asian nation.

Trump also invited Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to the White House next year during what a Duterte aide said was a “very engaging, animated” phone conversation. Duterte has openly insulted Obama, who cancelled a planned meeting with him in September.

A statement issued by Trump’s transition team made no mention of the invitation.
China condemns Taiwan after President Tsai Ing-wen offered support and asylum to Hong Kong protesters facing prosecution in Hong Kong courts.