China has said it will “never compromise” on the issue of Taiwan, in its first military talks with the US since 2021.
It urged the US to “stop arming Taiwan” and take its concerns “seriously”.
This comes just days ahead of pivotal elections in Taiwan, which could push the island further towards – or away – from Beijing.
China claims Taiwan as part of its own territory, but the island sees itself as distinct from the Chinese mainland.
“China expressed its willingness to develop healthy and stable military-to-military relations with the United States on the basis of equality and respect,” said the defence ministry readout.
It went on to say that the US needed to take China’s concerns “seriously”, adding that Beijing would “not make any concession or compromise on the Taiwan question and demand that the US side honor the one-China principle, relevant commitments, stop arming Taiwan, and not support Taiwan independence”.
Taiwan is a key flashpoint in the tussle between China and the US for supremacy in Asia. In 2022, China refused to resume talks as a protest move after then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022.
Their resumption early this week follows a deal struck by Chinese president Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden during a meeting in November. The two-day talks concluded in Washington on Tuesday.
