Beijing reiterated its strong opposition to official exchanges and military connections between the United States and Taiwan, amid recent reports that the U.S. Marines would be posted in a nonprofit organization in Taiwan.
"China consistently and firmly opposes the U.S. and Taiwan engaging in any form of official contact or military connection," Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said in a daily news conference in Beijing on Friday.
Geng was responding to reports that Stephen Young, former director of the American Institute in Taiwan said U.S. Marines would be posted at the new site of the organization.
In a conference held by a Washington think tank on Wednesday, Young said he had pushed strongly for a U.S. Marines detachment to protect the organization, and the new compound would include a "Marines house", which would be "a symbolic expression" of the U.S. commitment to Taiwan, Taipei Times reported.
On Feb 10, President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump had a telephone conversation, during which Trump said the U.S. government would adhere to the one-China policy.
"China hopes the U.S. will observe the one-China policy and the principles of the three joint communiques between China and the U.S., and that it will handle the Taiwan-related issue prudently and properly," Geng said.
Geng said he had noted reports on the possible deployment and needed to gain more information on the situation.
The U.S. posts Marines in its embassies and consulates to guard their security. Since 1979, when the U.S. established diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China, there have been no U.S. Marines stationed in the American Institute in Taiwan.
Zuo Xiying, a U.S. foreign policy researcher at the National Academy of Development and Strategy at Renmin University of China, said Young's comments may indicate the U.S. undertaking a "petty act" in an attempt to strengthen relations with Taiwan.
The foundation of China-U.S. ties will remain unaffected as long as the U.S. adheres to the one-China policy, but they will be affected if the U.S. deploys Marines at the institute, Zuo said.
